Blood and Tears
by I'mJustAnotherGamer
Summary: Sword Art Online has become a death game, and Kirito becomes despised once he reveals his identity as a beta tester. He finds solace in a girl his age named Asuna, and the two of them soon begin to develop feelings for each other. A different take on SAO, where Laughing Coffin has much more of a presence, the pain absorption is removed entirely, and there are now 120 floors.
1. Chapter 1

It was launch day of arguably the most anticipated game ever made: Sword Art Online, the first Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. A launch title for the new VR platform, the NerveGear that had been in development for nearly seven years since it was announced in 2021. Now, in 2028, the game was finally being released to a crowd of 12,000 people lucky enough to reserve their copy. For 14-year-old Kazuto, this meant he would pick up his copy, go home, and start playing as soon as he possibly could. Kazuto had been patiently awaiting the game's release ever since it was announced and was even lucky enough to be one of the thousand beta testers for the game. The game itself took place in a complete fantasy environment, in a massive, floating castle named Aincrad. A World of Swords, as the game was advertised. From what he remembered, the gameplay handled like it would in real life, for the most part. The exception being chargeable power attacks that would do more damage as well as various skills that could make a player unrealistically fast, strong, or agile. The sensory felt almost real, although the sense of temperature and touch didn't quite feel the same; the game's creator, Kayaba Akihiko, had promised to make the game feel real, and that by the time of the game's release, all minor issues would be sorted out, and everything would feel, taste, smell, look, and sound as if it were real.

Kazuto burst through the front door of his home, ran up to his room, and started preparing for his first time entering the completed game. He calibrated the NerveGear, and laid down on his bed. The clock on the device struck 13:00.

Kazuto closed his eyes. "Link Start!"

He felt himself slowly losing feeling throughout his body until he completely blacked out. After hearing a few sound effects, he opened his eyes to see his body floating in an endless gray space, with the words, 'Welcome to Sword Art Online!' floating in front of him. He once again logged himself in with his former beta testing profile, which he had named 'Kirito'. In his profile, he deliberately made himself look older and taller than he actually was, along with somewhat longer hair. He had previously almost leveled up into the twenties, although Kayaba himself confirmed that a player's stats would be completely reset upon the game's release.

The world around him slowly shifted into the initial spawn point he remembered from the beta test; a large, open, citadel-like area. Only this time, it was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of new players.

Kazuto, now once again Kirito, breathed out a sigh of satisfaction he gained from looking down at his avatar. Blue shirt, leather chestplate, tan pants and boots. Everything seemed in place, feeling even the weight of the sword slung over his shoulder. Even though the beta test had unbelievable immersion, this time, it felt like he was _there._ Like Aincrad was a real place. Overwhelmed with happiness, he couldn't help but say to himself, "Good to be back." With a huge grin.

He couldn't help but just stand there and take it all in. The warmth of the sun, the fresh air, if he didn't know better, he'd say he was in the real world. But now was not the time for standing around. He had to start racking up as much EXP and equipment as possible to stay ahead of the new players. He remembered a nearby field that had a lot of boars, an easy animal to kill and farm for EXP. If he was lucky, he could make it there before anyone else. He took off running like a madman, still keeping his massive smile. He kept on taking in the scenery as he was moving. Hundreds of people lined up in shops, eager to spend their first credits. And, to his surprise, there was an unusually large number of female players. At least, for a video game. He figured it was still about a 2:1 ratio though. He cut through a back alley just as he heard someone else's footsteps following him.

"Hey, wait up!" He heard the person yell.

Kirito stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the player. Pink hair was the first thing he noticed. "Yeah?" Kirito finally responded.

The player stopped to catch his breath. "Hey, you look like a player who's done this before. Were you in the beta test?" Kirito seemed caught off guard that this person could deduce something like that so easily.

"Umm... yeah."

"Look, can you give any tips to a new player? My name's Klein."

Kirito quickly responded. "Sure. My name's Kirito."

**THIRTY MINUTES LATER**

The boar knocked Klein back right on his ass. Instinctively, he reached for his junk. "Dammit, not in the crotch..."

Kirito openly laughed at this. "Hey, idiot, you don't feel pain in here. And you can use your sword to block pretty easily you know. Plus, there's always just moving out of it's way."

"Shut up!" Klein said with an annoyed tone as Kirito picked up a pebble off the ground and prepared to throw it. "What good is a pebble going to do?" Klein said sarcastically.

"What are you talking about? Most OP weapon in the game right here!" Kirito replied with probably the most sarcasm he'd ever used in his life. Then, throwing as hard as he could, the pebble flew straight towards the boar and hit the animal at it's upper thigh. The boar turned to face him, preparing to charge. Kirito readied his sword. The boar charged, only to have Kirito swiftly block it's tusk with the edge of his sword. He gave it a push, then kicked the animal in it's side, turning it towards Klein. The boar once again charged, this time right at Klein. "Your turn!"

Klein lunged forwards, moving past the animal and slicing it down it's side. The boar fell to the ground, dead. "I think I got it." Klein said confidently. The notification appeared over the animal's corpse, stating the rewards received for killing it. "So... what happens to the corpse?"

"Give it a second..." Kirito replied. Surely enough, in a matter of seconds, the animal burst into tens of bright blue polygons, each one floating off into the air for a few seconds, then disappearing.

"That's so cool!" Klein said giddily. He closed the notification and sat down on the grass. "It just feels so real." Klein said as he readjusted his red headband. "Whoever made this is a genius."

"Yup. It took nearly ten years to completely finish this, I heard."

"Well, he's committed." Klein rubbed his stomach. "Hey, changing the subject here, but I'm feeling a little hungry."

"Yeah, the game even replicates the need for hunger, thirst and sleep."

"I imagine that could get a little annoying." Klein said as he picked himself up off the ground. "Anyways, I'll probably get going soon. I've got a pizza ordered for 5:30!" He opened up the menu and navigated to the settings, then to system.

"Hey, umm, Kirito? Noob question, but where's the logout button?"

Kirito looked at him like he was the dumbest person he'd ever met. "Are you serious? It's in Settings, then System."

"Well it's not there." Klein said with a tinge of worry in his voice. Kirito began to feel a tingling sensation throughout his avatar's body. "Hey, do you feel somethi-" Klein was cut off by both of their bodies disappearing in a flash of blue light. Once he could see again, Kirito found himself standing in the middle of a massive crowd of people, even more appearing by the second.

"A forced teleport?" Kirito said confused. Kirito's eyes widened as the sky itself began to turn red with the words, 'System Announcement'. _That can't be good..._

The spaces between the words began oozing a red liquid as he heard some people start to panic. Instead of flowing down to the ground, they stopped several meters short and began to form a large, red-cloaked figure. The figure lifted its arms.

"Greetings, everyone!" The crowd fell to an eerie silence.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. As many of you know, I am the creator of Sword Art Online!" The man paused for a moment. "Some of you may have noticed by now that the logout button has disappeared from the menu. Some of you may think this is merely a glitch in the server, but this is in no way an accident." Kirito clenched his fist. "I have a number of announcements to make, starting with the fact that you are effectively trapped in this world. There is no way to escape other than to clear all one-hundred-and-twenty floors of Sword Art Online."

"Beating an MMO?! Are you serious?!" Kirito heard someone exclaim from the some other corner of the mass.

"Indeed. Furthermore, the pain absorption will be now turned to zero, meaning you will feel every blow as if it were 100% real." _There was a pain absorption? And it could be turned off? _"All kinds of filters, including the ethics code, are also permanently turned off."

"Kayaba..." Kirito said under his breath.

"Any methods to revive a player in-game will also cease, which leads me to my next point. If you die in this game, your real body will perish." Those last words hit Kirito like a harpoon. "Blood will also begin to function normally. This was exceedingly difficult to program, but I personally feel it will help with immersion and that it was simply a nice addition." _What kind of sick, demented person is he?_

"I wish you all the best of luck, and may you lead your fellow players to victory!" At that, Kayaba's avatar began to disappear. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, check your inventories for a pleasant surprise." Kirito quickly opened up his menu and rushed to the inventory section.

"A mirror..." Kirito equipped the item, holding it in front of him. He once again felt a tingling sensation as his and everyone else's body became engulfed in yet another flash of blue light. Once it had settled, Kirito was shocked to see his _real_ face in that mirror, with his body no longer tall and muscular like it had previously been. Everyone else's body seemed to look a little different save for Klein's, who only had his hair color change from hot pink to orange.

"Who are you?" Klein asked with a perplexed look on his face. Kirito didn't respond. Then it hit him. "You're Kirito!" Klein exclaimed.

"Yes, and I'm getting the hell out of here."

"Wha-What for?"

"I need to make it to the next town before anyone else. Can't afford to have everyone else take all the EXP on the way there."

"Oh, I see."

"Are you coming with me?" Kirito said, trying as hard as he could to seem in control.

"I... I can't. I have to look after my friends at this point. All I can say is good luck."

"Goodbye then." Kirito said as he spun around and broke into a full sprint. Within seconds he was outside the town, hopefully ahead of everyone else.

_I can do this..._ A boar stood in Kirito's way as he drew his sword. _I won't die in this world..._ He made the cut, nearly cleaving the animal in half, not once slowing down his sprint. "I... will... survive!"


	2. Chapter 2

Kirito struggled to give the impression he was calm. He'd practically just told everyone he had a death wish. Revealing he was a beta tester to not just a group of people who already disliked beta testers, but telling them that he was the person who made it the farthest; all the way to the 8th floor. The only one in the room who wasn't staring daggers at him was Asuna, but even she couldn't hide the look of shock on her face.

Of course, Kibaou was the first to speak his mind. "You... you piece of shit!" Kibaou ruthlessly charged at Kirito, only to have him swiftly sidestep the attack. Asuna quickly jumped between them.

"Hey, knock it off! Both of you!"

"Like hell I will, you dumb bitch!" Kibaou spat. "You're willing to defend him?!"

"You were willing to kill another person who hadn't attacked you?! In a situation like this?!" Asuna stood her ground.

"Person?! You mean piece of shit human being?! This asshole needs to pay!" Kibaou raised his fist and swung as hard as he could, feeling satisfied as Asuna nearly fell to the ground, her hand on her cheek.

Kibaou had no time to react to what happened next. In no time at all, Kirito lunged at him, not striking, but putting his blade right on Kibaou's throat. "If you touch her again... I'll cut your head clean off." Kibaou remained silent. Kirito backed away and sheathed his sword. "Are you alright?" He placed his hand on Asuna's shoulder. It was already starting to bruise, and a small stream of blood ran from her lower lip to her chin.

"I'll be fine." She said, although she was nowhere near as confident as she was moments ago. Kirito didn't respond, he simply turned and started for the steps to the second floor. There was no way he was ever going to be able to live normally in this world again. "Wait!" Asuna grabbed his arm. "You're leaving? Just like that?"

"Yes. And there's no way you're staying with me." He wanted so badly to let her. She was about as good at the game as he was, she was his age... and she was kind of cute. "Once word gets around, then everyone in the game will want me dead. I can't let you risk yourself like that."

"I can defend myself!" She was trying so hard to hold back tears. He was the only friend she'd had in this world. "If something happened to you, then I'd feel responsible for not being there to help you!"

Kirito snapped. "I'm not letting you get hurt because of me! Don't make this harder than it needs to be!"

Asuna stepped back. "Fine." She felt tears forming in her eyes as Kirito walked away.

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER**

Kirito looked around at the forests of the second floor. The midnight sky was illuminated by thousands of brilliant stars. On the other hand, he was loving his new armor. The 'Cloak of Midnight', as it was called, a dark blue, almost purple trench coat nearly covering a yellow chestplate with a small crescent moon at the collar. Now if he just had a sword to go along with it...

Kirito's thoughts were interrupted by Kibaou walking out from the bushes in front of him. Only he wasn't the only one. At least seven more players joined in, quickly surrounding Kirito as he refused to draw his sword.

"I'm not going to kill another player. Even one as stupid as you."

Kibaou sneered. "Then that'll make our jobs a lot easier."

"But that doesn't mean I won't hurt you." Kirito drew his sword. "Look at this." Kirito opened up his menu to his player statistics. Level 28. "You are all sorely outleveled. If you drop this nonsense now, then no one has to lose a limb."

They all stared at Kirito, in awe and in fear.

"Leave him alone!" Kirito heard a familiar voice shout. He was both happy and angry about who it was. But this could be his opportunity to get these idiots away from him.

"Look. We both outlevel you. You aren't going to accomplish anything by attacking me."

Kibaou was gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. "Fine. But this is far from over." He sheathed his sword and walked back down the path to the first floor. Asuna ran over to him.

"I told you not to follow me."

"I know... but... you're the only friend I have here. I don't have anywhere else to go. That's why I want to come with you so badly."

Kirito felt like he'd just been hit with a harpoon. He could let her, but if he did, she was arguably less safe then going off and being a solo player. But could he really tell her no after that? "Okay. But I won't be able to live with myself if you get hurt."

Her face lit up. "I won't."

"Then we'd better get going. I'm not sure we'll be able to make it to the next town tonight."

"Well, don't you think we kind of have to?"

"We could always camp out under a tree or something..." Kirito chuckled, but he was only half joking. He had done that before, and it was actually quite nice. Especially since the weather was starting to cool down.

Kirito couldn't help but notice how closely she was walking to him. She was practically touching him as they walked. "Hey, this game has rain, right?"

"Umm... yeah. Why?" She pointed to the clouds. A rather large storm cloud seemed to be moving closer. Lightning flashed off in the distance. "Well, if it rains it rains. There's not much we can do about it."

"I know, but doesn't it mean we need to make it to the town tonight?"

"We'll be fine if we don't. Our outfits might just get a little wet."

Asuna changed the subject. "Hey, Kirito..."

"Yeah?"

"You've heard about that guild of murderers right? Laughing Coffin?" She looked a little scared.

Kirito nodded. "They're a small guild as of now. Only about forty players."

"They're growing quickly though. Ten of those are from the last couple of weeks. I heard they accept bounties..."

"Where's this going?"

"I'm just getting a feeling that Kibaou, or someone in his group, may hire Laughing Coffin to get you."

"They won't. They know I'm a high-level player."

"That's true, but still... what if they use a paralysis poison or something?" She still maintained her concerned look.

"They wouldn't be able to touch me. I've leveled up my agility the most. Then strength, so I'll be able to take them down easily." Kirito placed his hand on her shoulder. "Quit worrying about me. You're the one I'm scared for."

"Okay." She said, shaking his hand off.

"How's that bruise?"

"I'm fine." She turned to face him. "But my feet are starting to ache a little. You think we can stop somewhere nearby for tonight?"

"Just find a tree you like." She pointed to a small hill just above the treeline. The hill had a single, massive tree at the top of it, and there were no other trees within several meters of it. Kirito walked the distance to it, then took off the scabbard strapped to his back. Asuna took the sheath for her rapier off her belt and unequipped her boots. They both sat down, Kirito using a root sticking up from the ground as a headrest, using his hands to cushion his head from the hard surface. Asuna laid down on the grass a few feet away.

"Good night, Kirito."

"Good night, Asuna.


	3. UPDATE

UPDATE

First of all, thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows :D I had no idea I'd be getting follows, let alone reviews in this fast.

Now, to address the reviews. Thank you all for the positive reviews. I will update this whenever I can, but this is somewhat hard considering the only time I can work on this is late at night (1st year of high school, and dear God it's a lot to keep up with). Also, I honestly don't think I'll be able to fit in Leafa into this (but in all honesty, I just never really cared much for her character unlike, oh, I don't know, EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET).

In other notes, I'm definitely going to make Laughing Coffin have much more of a presence than it did in SAO. (I feel like they just kind of introduced them in the first few episodes and then basically forgot about them until GGO)

Anyways, thank you so much for the support, and I'll update whenever I can. :D Chapter 3 is in the works, but my progress has been erased TWICE (don't ask how).


	4. Chapter 3

Kirito opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed were that his clothes were soaking wet, and then he remembered the storm Asuna pointed out the night before. Speaking of her, she was still fast asleep on the grass next to him. Kirito nudged her arm. "Hey, wake up. We still have a lot of walking to do."

She lifted her head off the ground; a blade of wet grass sticking to her cheek. "What?" She said half asleep.

"Get up, we're not even halfway to the town yet."

She stood up, rubbed her eyes, and equipped her boots. Kirito slung the scabbard for his sword over his shoulder, and the two continued their walk. They walked for nearly thirty minutes before Asuna finally started a conversation. "So, what are you going to do once we get there?"

"I'm getting something to eat. I'm about to start taking damage from this." Kirito had a love/hate relationship with hunger in the game. It was certainly realistic, in the sense that if it was depleted your character's health bar would start to go down, but it was also very annoying.

Asuna broke into a wide smile. "I could make something! My cooking skill is really high."

Kirito grinned. She was cute, had a nice personality, was great in combat, and could cook? "...But you wouldn't have anywhere to cook unless we bought a house. And even with the huge amount of money I got from killing the boss, I'm still several thousand short for that."

Asuna frowned. "Oh."

An idea hit Kirito. "Hey, how's your sword doing?"

"I don't know, I haven't checked since before the boss fight." She opened her menu and navigated to the equipment section. "It's only at one-third durability."

"I could give you some of that money so you can buy a new sword."

"What? No! I couldn't ask you to do that. I'm perfectly fine."

"It's okay. I'll still have plenty left over for me. I'll just half it." Before she could protest, Kirito opened up his menu and shared half of his 7,000 credits with her. Asuna received the notification that a new item had been added to her inventory.

She sighed, knowing that arguing with him further was pointless. "Fine. Thanks for the money."

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>"So, how do you think the players will react to seeing you? You being public enemy number one at the moment." Asuna said.<p>

Kirito hadn't even thought of that. "Crap. I guess I'll have to change into my old armor when we get there."

"Smart. Even then though, there's no guarantee. If they do recognize you, how bad do you think it will get?"

"If I were being optimistic, then they would probably shout insults at me and throw rocks. Maybe swo-" Kirito stopped himself as he saw three, no, four people in the distance, approaching them. Instinctively, Kirito grabbed Asuna's arm and ran for the trees. He found one about a meter in thickness, and then crouched behind it.

"What are you doing?" Asuna whispered.

"They could be bounty hunters. It's a small group, and they're heading away from the town." Asuna nodded as the players came into view. They were all in black cloaks, and each of them had an assortment of knives, plus a longsword at their hip. He noticed they all had the same emblem on their shoulders, a demented smile painted onto a wooden coffin with an arm coming out of its side. Laughing Coffin.

Kirito tried to listen in on their conversation. "We should head back. There's no way the stupid kid could be this far back." He heard one of the players say.

"ZaZa's right. No one's back here."

The player in front of them sighed. "Fine, we'll head back to HQ. Pussies." They continued to walk towards the first floor. Finally, they were out of sight.

"Watch out for anyone dressed in black." Kirito whispered to Asuna as he stood up and got back on the path. Asuna nodded, and took her place at his side. "Anyways, in case there are some of them in the bushes on our way..." Kirito opened his menu and equipped his old armor.

**THIRTY MINUTES LATER**

The town was finally coming into view. Kirito checked the time. 12:30 p.m. They had been walking for two and a half hours. "Alright, I'll meet you..." Kirito looked around for an easy spot to find. "...there." He pointed towards a three-story inn.

"Alright. Meet you there!" Asuna took off running, straight for a weapons shop. Kirito, on the other hand, ran for the nearest restaurant. Fortunately, there was one right near the entrance. Kirito burst through the door, everyone in the room looking at him like he was crazy. Fortunately though, none of them got up and drew their sword. He pushed his way right to the front. Frantically, he opened up the 'For Sale' icon floating above the counter. Without a second thought, he bought a rack of boar ribs, a basked of bread, and two slices of pie.

He turned around and tried to make his way back through the line of people, every single one of them giving him a dirty look. He sat down on a bench right outside the restaurant. With every bystander giving him a disgusted look, he wolfed down all of the ribs, three of the five pieces of bread, and one slice of pie. With each bite, Kirito couldn't help but thinking of how great it tasted; how it tasted like something he would never get to have in real life. With his hunger meter fully restored, he started for the weapons shop.

Once he got there, he could already tell he was going to walk away satisfied. A girl his age, and bubblegum pink hair with a red and white blacksmith's apron was standing in the store, a huge smile on her face. The girl was surrounded by rows upon rows of weaponry.

"Hello! My name's Lisbeth, how can I help you?" Her cheery attitude almost caught him off guard. She wasn't an NPC; the green marker normally above a visible player's head was clearly there.

"I was wondering what I could get for this sword." He took the sword out of his scabbard and handed it to her. The weight of the weapon almost seemed to throw her off balance.

"It's a stock weapon, and at three-fourths durability."

"So... what's it worth?"

"I'd say... about 200 max."

"Alright. Good enough for me." With a few flicks of his finger and the press of a button, the sword disappeared from his inventory, 200 credits were added, and the scabbard for the weapon disappeared from his back.

"Anything else for you?"

"What's the best one-handed sword you have?" She looked at him like he was insane.

"Well... I do have this one sword, but I don't think you can afford it. Besides, your strength stat may not be high enough."

"Well, what is it?" Kirito persisted.

"This." She pressed a button on her menu, and a large longsword sheathed in a black scabbard materialized in her hands. She handed the weapon to Kirito.

"Anneal Blade..." Kirito read the name of the item as he looked at the weapon under the scabbard. The hilt was completely black, and the guard was just enough to look cool, but not necessarily flashy. He put the tip of the weapon on the floor and held the hilt to his chest. The sword was far too long to draw from the back.

"It costs 3,550. It was a field boss drop from the last floor, and it's good as new; no one I know has the strength stat to wield that thing." Kirito looked at the weapon. Required Strength: Lvl 40. Kirito checked his stats. Strength Lvl: 42. He was just strong enough.

"I'll take it." Lisbeth's jaw dropped. He opened up his menu, and bought the weapon. 3,550 credits disappeared from his inventory. Lisbeth still had a shocked look on her face. "Thanks for the help!" Kirito said as he walked out the door, fastening the weapon to his belt.

Kirito could already see Asuna waiting outside the inn. She was admiring a shiny new rapier in her hand. "What'd you get?" Asuna jumped, surprised to see him.

"I got a new rapier. It cost me just about all of my money though."

"What's it called?"

"It's called the 'Wind Fleuret'. What'd you get?"

"This." He drew the sword from his side, an action that would take some getting used to. He held up the blade in the sunlight, Asuna gawking at it. "It's called the 'Anneal Blade'. This thing cost me all of my money, and I'm just barely strong enough to use it." Kirito backed away, preparing to swing the weapon for the first time.

In a single swift motion, he raised the blade above his head and swung downward, powerful enough to cleave a boar in half. Kirito turned his wrist slightly, putting himself in the perfect position for a second strike. He swung the weapon horizontally, the weight of the weapon giving him a harder time than he thought to stop the momentum. He swung again, this time upwards, and finally brought the blade down as hard as he could, the edge of the weapon tapping against the ground; causing the 'Immortal Object' notification to appear in front of him.

"Where'd you learn that one?"

"Just a little combo I came up with a couple weeks ago." Kirito said, grinning.

"Could you teach me?" Asuna sounded so eager.

"Sure. But it won't be much with a rapier. Those are mainly stabbing weapons."

"I kno-" Asuna stopped herself upon hearing the crowd of people around them fall silent. The people steadily began to back away from Kirito and Asuna, who were both looking quite concerned.

A man... in a black cloak... was slowly approaching them. The man spoke with a deep, almost malevolent voice as he drew a sword, covered in spikes and serrations.

"Kirito... you're time has come."


	5. Chapter 4

Kirito equipped his Cloak of Midnight. At this point, it didn't matter. He turned to Asuna. "Get back." He said as he faced the Laughing Coffin member. "I don't want to kill you."

"Then I, Chronos, member of the famed guild Laughing Coffin, will kill you. You have no idea of the power this world yields to those who accept its rules. Kill or be killed." The man's face broke into a wicked grin. "In addition, many players are offering a large bounty for your head."

Kirito readied himself. "You'll never get the chance."

The player attacked much faster than Kirito was expecting. He managed to sidestep the attack, although he figured the player had a high agility stat. Kirito swung the blade downward, but his opponent reacted fast enough to parry the strike, leaving him open. Chronos swiftly kicked Kirito in the stomach, knocking him back. Asuna almost jumped in, but Kirito shot her a look to stay back. The player stabbed at Kirito, barely parrying the strike and giving him a small cut on his arm.

However, instead of fighting back, Kirito felt his arm go limp. Then his entire body fell to the ground. A green timer appeared below his health bar that started counting down from one minute. One minute of paralysis. The Laughing Coffin member turned to the crowd of people. "Is this not what you people want?! The infamous Black Swordsman being punished for his crimes!" No one in the crowd made a sound.

Kirito's opponent stood over him, his sword raised. He brought the blade down, piercing Kirito's chest. He screamed from the pain as his health bar was almost halved. The man removed the sword from Kirito's torso, only to bring it down once again. Kirito desperately tried to overcome the poison, and caught the blade with his hands. He winced at the pain as he struggled to move the sword to where it wouldn't hit him. It was of little use, however, as Chronos pushed harder downward, causing the blade to cut deeper into Kirito's hands and slice open his side. His health bar took another major hit. He was down to one-fourth of his health, bleeding damage causing it to slowly deplete further.

Chronos laughed maniacally. "Farewell!" He said with glee. That second though, Kirito heard footsteps as Chronos glanced behind him, then tried to dive out of the way as a rapier was stabbed through his side. The player grunted in pain as he swung, but his weapon was parried out of his hand.

"Asuna..." Kirito muttered. His health bar was down to one-fifth, still ever so slowly depleting. Twenty seconds left on his paralysis. Asuna swiftly kicked the man in his jaw. He spat out blood as he fell to his knees.

"Stop... please." Chronos softly spoke to her. "I... I was wrong for attacking him. Please, spare me."

_Don't you do it!_ Kirito thought. He wanted to speak up, but he was in far too much pain. Using what little strength he had left, he tilted his head to see Asuna standing over him, ready to kill. Except Kirito could visibly see her letting her guard down. The tension she had a moment before was gone.

In a single, swift motion, the man jumped up as he pulled a dagger from his belt and stabbed Asuna in the stomach. Her hands let go of her rapier as she fell to the ground, paralyzed. Of course the poison was applied to all of his weapons. Kirito saw her health bar fall by two-thirds. It hit her perfectly in the center of her abdomen. Ten seconds.

Chronos retrieved his sword and stood over Asuna, poised to strike. "Dumb bitch." Chronos muttered as he raised the blade above his head. One second.

Kirito grabbed his sword and in the blink of an eye, rushed towards Chronos, stabbing him at the base of his throat. The man fell to the ground, his head landing on Kirito's feet. Within a matter of seconds, the man's body burst into hundreds of tiny blue polygons.

Kirito knelt down next to Asuna, the knife still in her stomach. Kirito took hold of her hand. "This is going to hurt, okay?" He placed his hand on the knife. "One...two...three!" He pulled with what little strength he had left. Asuna yelped as she squeezed his hand as hard as she could. With a gruesome sound, he successfully pulled out the knife and tossed it to the side.

Kirito checked his inventory. He had one healing potion left. With the tap of a button, the small red bottle materialized in his hand. He held the opening to her lips. "Drink this." He softly whispered to her. She swallowed a few times, and Kirito saw her health bar restore completely. The paralysis was still in effect for another thirty seconds, however. Kirito looked at his own health bar, only to be reminded of the unholy pain coming from his chest and stomach. His health bar was down to one-sixth. At one-eighth or lower, a player would black out.

A man in a green shopkeeper outfit stepped forwards. "Take this." He said gently as he held out a healing potion.

Kirito reached for it. "Thank you." He took the bottle and drank every last drop of it. His wounds disappeared and his health became completely restored. As he tossed away the bottle, he noticed everyone around him, at least forty people, all looking at him. Kirito sighed. "I guess the rest of you are going to start calling me a horrible person. First for all the things I said after the boss fight, and now I've killed another player."

"No." He heard several of the people say. One of them stepped forward. A man with a battleaxe on his back, and a steel chestplate covering his torso.

"After something like that? Absolutely not. Both of you have a level of courage most of us here couldn't hope to have." He held out his hand to Kirito offering him help up. Kirito shook his head no, and instead picked Asuna up off the ground. Without saying a word, he walked slowly over to the inn as the crowd began to disperse. He approached the man at the front desk.

"One room. Two beds."

The man held out a key to him. "Upstairs, room twenty seven. No charge."

"Thank you." Kirito replied. He took the key, Asuna still in his arms, and walked up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Asuna had her eyes closed, her head resting on his shoulder and cheek. Kirito opened up the door to the room, and laid Asuna down on one the beds. She sat up, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I... I'm sorry..." Kirito was surprised at her sudden display of emotion. "...I... I should have just stayed behind. I shouldn't have tried to come with you..." A tear fell from her cheek. "I... I almost got both of us killed." She couldn't bring herself to look at him. "I should... just... stay away from you."<p>

Kirito placed his hand on his shoulder, using the other to lift her chin up. "Asuna, I owe you my life." She looked at him, her face now stained with tears. "I wouldn't be here right now if not for you." He moved his face closer to hers. "I know we still don't even know each other that well, but... I hope you could stay with me. If you don't mind, I'd just like to watch over you for a little while." He wrapped his arms around her as she did the same. "I'll see to it that you get to live with your family again. I will use my life to protect yours, no matter the cost." He released.

Asuna smiled. "I'll do the same for you."

Kirito held his fist out in front of him. "Partners?"

She bumped his fist. "Partners."


	6. Chapter 5

Kirito sliced through the last boar. After a long sigh, he sat down on the grass and opened his menu. He'd just reached level 37, and at 4:02 in the morning. He hadn't been able to sleep for the past week since him and Asuna had almost been publicly murdered. Even though he prided himself on his generally high level, he was still inescapably vulnerable. He couldn't rest until he was entirely capable of defending her, even though she had been working almost harder than he had during the day to become as strong as she could in order to protect him.

Either way, even if he could sleep, his rest wouldn't last. Nearly every time he had been either awoken by his own nightmares or Asuna's. Remembering the image of her, laying down on the stone ground, her health bar dangerously low, paralyzed, the knife in her stomach, and the look in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes, wet with tears and pupils shrunken. It looked like she was, simply put, dying. He doubted he could ever forget that.

He lifted himself off the ground and walked alone back to the town. In addition to his nightmares, he had to also face the psychological result of killing a living, breathing, feeling person. Sure, he would have likely gone on to kill even more people if Kirito hadn't stopped him, but somewhere, there was a family that cared about him. That, was what disturbed him. That he'd taken away the hope of an entire family who just wanted to see their loved one return. Just thinking about it made him want to vomit.

He returned to his room at the inn; the keeper had been kind enough to let him stay as long as he wished. Asuna was there, fast asleep. They had feelings for each other, but both of them were too scared to act on them. Ironically, they both knew this, and were just waiting for the other to admit it.

Kirito unequipped his boots and prepared to lay down on the bed. Just as he removed his coat though, Asuna woke up screaming. Kirito rushed to her side. "It's okay, it's okay. Just a bad dream."

"I... I know." She said as she hugged him tightly. She noticed a small tear in the fabric of his shirt that Kirito had received from a boar earlier that night. "You were out grinding?"

"Yeah."

"I'm telling you, you need to stop going out in the middle of the night and doing this. It's just plain reckless." She released him from her arms.

"Asuna... I just want to be there to protect you." She grabbed his hand.

"You feel this?" Kirito nodded his head. "Nothing's going to happen. I'm staying right here with you." She let go of his hand. "Now get some sleep."

"Gladly." Kirito said as he hopped into his bed and closed his eyes. For once, his rest wasn't interrupted by nightmares.

* * *

><p>Kirito awoke to see Asuna, already up, and getting her equipment ready. "Heading out?" He said half asleep.<p>

"Just heading over to the restaurant for some breakfast."

"Meet me out in the fields." Kirito said as he got out of his bed. Asuna left the room and started walking her way over to the restaurant. He equipped his boots, grabbed his sword and headed down the stairs. A man in long white and red robes was sitting down, seemingly waiting for him.

"Hello, Kirito." The man stood up. "I speak on behalf of the Knights of the Blood Oath, and we would like you to become a member of our guild."

"...And what exactly does a floor-clearing guild like the KoB want with me?"

"You seem to display a fair amount of skill in this game, and since you were not only a beta tester, but one who made it all the way to the eighth floor, we feel that you would be a valuable asset in our guild." Kirito couldn't deny that what he knew could be of use to the guilds. But given the general opinion towards beta testers, he'd decided that it would be best just to not bother.

"I'd like to remain independent as of now. I will consider your offer, and send you a message once I've decided."

The man nodded. "I understand. I will inform Heathcliff of your decision."

"I'm more than willing to give you information, though. I know possible locations for the bosses up to the eighth floor. Open your map." The man flicked his finger through the menu and a map of the second floor appeared in front of him. Kirito pointed at a small cluster of mountains. A green marker appeared over the location. "Here. That may be where the second floor boss is."

"Your help is much appreciated." The man said as he closed his map and exited the inn.

So now the KoB wanted him. It bewildered Kirito that one small event could cause such a drastic change on the people's opinion of him. Of course, the bounties were still there though. Kirito left the inn and headed for the fields he was in a few short hours ago. Asuna was there, sitting down in the grass, finishing off a piece of bread. Kirito sat down next to her.

"So, what do you want to do today?" She asked cheerfully.

"Well... did you see that man in the white robes on your way out?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

Kirito sighed. "He said he was with the KoB, and that they wanted me to join." Asuna wasn't trying too hard to hide her surprised expression.

"The KoB? You mean the floor-clearing guild? What do they want with you? I thought most people hated you."

"That's what I thought. Apparently, they say I'm really skilled and that someone with the knowledge of a beta tester could be of use."

"...Are you considering joining? You kept on telling me you wanted to stay a solo player."

"I may. Being in a big guild like that could be the protection we need. If you're okay with joining, that is." Asuna didn't respond. "Well, are you?" He could tell she was trying to think this through.

"I'm okay with it. Only if you are."

"I am." Kirito responded. Asuna noticed he hadn't yet made eye contact with her.

"So it's settled, then? We're joining the KoB?"

"I guess so. I'll send them a message later today and visit them tomorrow." Kirito looked at her. "I think we should just rest today. We've been going at it every day for the past week." Asuna nodded as Kirito stood up. He offered her help up. "I feel like catching up on sleep anyway."

"Do we really have to walk all the way back to the town, though?" This was the first time he'd ever heard Asuna complain about anything.

Kirito took off the Anneal Blade from his hip and laid down under the shade of a nearby tree. "Have it your way then." Kirito closed his eyes as Asuna got down beside him, letting out a little 'Hmph' as she lie down beside him. Still at a comfortable distance, however.

She realized Kirito was already fast asleep. Within minutes, she was asleep, herself.

* * *

><p>Kirito rubbed his eyes and sat up. He jumped a little bit when he saw Asuna laying right next to him. <em>Man, it's like she's trying as hard as she can. <em>He wasn't complaining, though. She was... well... cute. Especially her long, chestnut brown hair that looked reddish-blonde in the sunlight. Speaking of the sunlight, there wasn't much of it left in the day. The sun was a deep orange, starting to descend below the horizon. Judging from the sun's position in the sky, Kirito guessed they had been sleeping for about eight or so hours.

Asuna moved slightly. She was waking up. Kirito looked out on the horizon as she sat up next to him. He couldn't help but thinking this would be the perfect place to tell Asuna his feelings. She leaned on his shoulder. "Hey... Kirito?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

"Hm?" He turned to face her.

"I know that we've only known each other for a couple of weeks, but..." He could already tell where this was going. "...I like you. A lot." She moved her face closer to his. Kirito gently kissed her on the cheek. She lightly gasped.

He wasn't quite sure how to respond. He was never good with words. "I like you too." It was cheesy, but it was all he could come up with. She put her arm over his shoulder. Kirito wasn't quite expecting what followed. She kissed him, full on the lips. He could have broken away, and told her to slow way down, which would have probably been the appropriate thing to do, but he simply couldn't. All he could do was accept the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

The two of them released. After a few seconds of absorbing what had just happened, Kirito finally spoke up. "So, what do you want to do now? We got in our day of rest."

Asuna stood up. "How's dinner sound?"

"Great. I'm starving." Kirito said as he stood up and fastened the sword back to his belt. "I'll pay."

"No, you gave me the money for the new sword. I'm paying this time." She said back playfully.

"Uh, no. I'm the guy here, I'm supposed to be the one paying." He said as the two of them held hands.

Asuna sighed. "There's no arguing with you, is there? Fine."

And at that, the two of them started walking back towards the town.


	7. UPDATE NO 2

Hey! Once again, thank you for all the positive reception. I really can't describe how good it feels to have all these positive reviews and favorites. I had no idea this story would get this many follows, favorites, or reviews! Anyways, I know the latest chapter ended on kind of a cheesy note, but once again, please understand that I'm still a new writer (but hey, that's what reviews are for, so please keep telling me what I'm doing right and wrong; I want to make this as good as I possibly can). I'll keep updating every 2-4 chapters, and once again, thank you all so much for the support, it really means a lot to me. :D


	8. Chapter 6

"You know, you really should let me cook something for you every once in a while. I'm telling you, my cooking skill is pretty high." Asuna said as she ate the last bite of her food. Kirito had been done with his for a few minutes.

"Well, I would, but we kind of need house for that." The way player homes worked was one of his only problems with the game. You had to either own a shop or a house in order to cook something for yourself.

"Yeah, I know." She said as she stood up from the table. "Lets get going. Don't you still have to send the KoB your message?"

"Yeah, but I'm just still not that sure about joining." Kirito got up and followed her out the door.

"Why is that?"

"It just takes the fun away from being a solo player. I like not having to answer to a guild leader; to not being forced to go fight on the front lines with everyone else. There's less freedom."

"Well... that's true. But don't you think it would help if we had the assurance of being in a guild? Sure you're forced to help the other players even if you don't want to, but they'll help you also when you need it. With Laughing Coffin after us, we're a lot less likely to get caught by them that way."

Kirito sighed. "I guess you're right." He opened his menu. _I think it's Heathcliff who accepts messages to the guild... _He thought to himself. Kirito started typing the message as they arrived back at the inn.

'This is Kirito. I've been thinking about joining the KoB, and I've decided to do so. I'm willing to offer any information needed, and I hope to be of use to the guild. I plan to arrive at the guild headquarters tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. for registration.' He showed the message to Asuna. "How's this sound?"

She read over the message. "Looks good to me." Kirito nodded and hit the 'Send' button as Asuna closed the door to their room behind them. "How long is the walk tomorrow?"

"Shouldn't be much. Their HQ just relocated to the edge of town." Kirito said as he jumped into his bed.

"Alright. Good night, Kirito."

"Good night, Asuna."

* * *

><p>The two approached the KoB guild headquarters. It was a fairly large building, about four stories tall, and red banners with the KoB emblem hanging on the building's exterior. Two guards stood by as Kirito and Asuna entered. The interior was arguably more impressive than the outside. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and a massive red carpet covered a majority of the stone brick floor, and two long tables made for about ten people were on either side. At the opposite end were a few small steps leading up to a throne of sorts, a man in completely red armor sitting in it. Kirito could only guess that it was Heathcliff. A man in white robes approached him.<p>

"Kirito?"

"Yes sir."

"Ah, good! Heathcliff would likely want to speak with you personally." He led them to the man on the throne, who was the first to speak.

"You must be Kirito." Kirito nodded. "Well, I'm certainly glad you made the decision to join us. Thanks to your information, we have located the second floor boss, and are preparing to launch an attack on it."

"So... what now?"

"Think of this as an initiation. We have heard of your skills, but we would like to view them firsthand. If we succeed, and you prove to be the skilled player we were told of, then you will be allowed to join." Why did he need an initiation? Wasn't his knowledge of the game alone more than enough?

"Wait... what about Asuna?" He gestured at her. "She can join if she wants too, right? I mean, she's about as good at the game as I am."

"I'm... afraid that may be harder to come by. We would like to keep the size of the guild small, to maintain our status as one of the top guilds. No more than thirty-five players, and you're the thirty-fifth. Many players have come to join us since the first floor was cleared, after all..."

Kirito probably sounded a little angrier than he thought. "Absolutely not! If she can't join, then I won't join, and you need my information about the bosses."

Heathcliff didn't seem the least bit startled. "Calm down, Kirito. I was going to say that I'll see what I can do. The fact remains, however, that Asuna simply may not be able to join."

"...And if she can't, then I'm not joining." He was adamant about this.

"Very well." He paused for a moment. "On the other hand, I'd suggest you go and prepare yourself; we leave for the boss in two hours."

Kirito nodded, and left the building with Asuna. "You didn't have to yell at him like that."

"I don't care how I sounded. How can I be there for you if I'm in a guild all the time?"

"You're saying that like I'm some defenseless little girl." She shifted her glance away from him. "I can handle myself, you know."

Kirito sighed. "Sorry. I just couldn't stand to see you hurt again..." He took hold of her hand. "I'm sorry if I'm a little overprotective sometimes."

She held his hand tightly. "It's okay. If you got hurt... I doubt I could stand it either." The two smiled at each other.

Asuna was always the one to change the subject. "Anyways, want to go get lunch? I'm pretty hungry."

"Yeah, me too." They had skipped out on breakfast, after all.

**2 HOURS LATER**

"Saddle up!" Heathcliff exclaimed to the KoB rallying behind him, Kirito and Asuna included. The two of them got onto their horses. "On horseback, we should arrive within fifteen minutes! If you haven't already, switch to your best available gear!" Kirito already had his Cloak of Midnight equipped and the Anneal Blade strapped to his belt. "Information gathered on the boss indicates that it resembles that of a Minotaur. It charges at it's prey, using it's horns as weapons." It sounded exactly as Kirito remembered it. "It is very fast and agile, although it's health is confirmed to be lower than that of the first floor boss. In addition, the monster is estimated to be three meters tall." Heathcliff turned his horse to face the mountains ahead. "Move out!"

All of the KoB members' horses reared up, and immediately broke into a gallop. Kirito couldn't help but smile; it felt like he was part of an old-fashioned fantasy tale. Asuna's horse steadied itself next to his. Barely able to speak over the sound of tens of hooves slamming against the ground, Asuna said, "Is it bad that I didn't know horses were in this game until today?"

Kirito gave looked at her as if to say, 'Really?!'. "Only if you've been in the game for almost two months. Oh wait..."

"You don't need to be a prick about it, Mr. Beta Tester." Asuna replied sarcastically.

"Well what's that supposed to mean?" Kirito sounded annoyed.

With a smug grin, Asuna replied, "Take that any way you like."

Kirito simply gave her another annoyed look and focused on the road ahead. The cave where the boss supposedly resided was coming into view. It looked like an unnatural hole that was artificially dug into the mountain. "You ready?" Kirito shouted at Asuna.

"Absolutely!" She exclaimed confidently.

Heathcliff led the guild up to the entrance of the cave. Along with Heathcliff, the members of the KoB dismounted their horses. Walking up to the entrance, he turned to face the guild behind him. "I wish the best of luck to all of you, and if it is your time, then may you die with a sword in your hand!" The guild roared in approval.

Kirito turned to face Asuna. "You have to admit, he knows how to give a speech."

Asuna nodded. "It's almost like he spends all that time on the throne rehearsing."

The two turned back to Heathcliff, shield now equipped, and sword in hand. He raised his weapon far above his head, the blade glinting in the sunlight. With a downward motion, the guild charged in, ready for battle.


	9. Chapter 7

Surprisingly, two other guilds were waiting inside the cave, surrounding a massive steel door. The Aincrad Liberation Force, led by none other than Kibaou, and another guild he wasn't familiar with. They looked certainly capable, even though it looked to be only six players, all wearing red and black. One, in particular, looked quite familiar. He didn't have time to see who it was however, because Kibaou was beginning to approach him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The player said coldly. "I hope that boss tears you in half and crushes your little head."

Kirito rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? You're not giving up on this, are you?"

"You need to pay. After what all you've gotten away with, you deserve to die."

Kirito sighed. "Can you quit being a self-righteous dumbass long enough for us to get through this? Just for a few minutes, maybe?"

Kibaou grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. "The fuck did you just say?!" Spit pelted Kirito's face as Kibaou yelled furiously at him. He lifted his right fist and swung viciously at Kirito, expecting the blow to connect. He had no such luck however, as Kirito easily blocked the strike with his left forearm and kicked him in the chest, causing him to drop Kirito and be knocked back.

Kirito gave him an annoyed look. "Stop. We can fight all you want after this is over, but for now, we have a boss to defeat."

Kibaou backed away. "Fine." The player returned to his guild as he heard someone else approaching him.

"Kirito?" He heard a familiar voice say. He turned to see Klein, hair still pink, outfitted with a long katana at his hip, and a black chestplate partially covering a crimson shirt.

"Klein! It's been a while, have you joined a guild?"

Klein got a rather proud look on his face as he replied, "Believe it or not, I'm the leader of my own guild. Just me and my friends, all above level twenty." Klein was about to continue but was stopped by the creaking of the steel door opening. The guilds began to pour inside.

Kirito noticed the ox-like creature at the opposite end of the massive area. It stood upright, almost three meters,although the only thing remotely humanoid about it was it's torso, but even that still closely resembled that of a large ox. It had long, curved horns protruding from its forehead, and looked long enough to completely impale a person. The creature got down on all of its limbs, and continued to stare straight ahead with glowing red eyes. A large number of smaller creatures began to spawn, some humanoid and carrying a weapon, others looking like simply smaller versions of what appeared to be the boss.

"Ready?" The booming voice of Heathcliff called out from the front of the crowd. "Wait for its first attack!" Almost on cue, the ox charged forward as the crowd began to disperse, clearing a path for the animal to go through. It shifted its path at the last second however, and plowed through a small group of players close to the inside of the path. At least two players were dead.

The small army spread out more, battling the smaller mobs as a group of players focused their attacks on the boss, although nothing seemed to be rather effective. Asuna was still by Kirito's side. "Split up! You help get rid of the smaller mobs, I'll fight the boss!" Asuna nodded and rushed a small cluster of mobs with alarming speed, killing them quickly with a few strikes of her rapier, then went to assist a group getting swarmed as Kirito fought his way towards the boss.

Heathcliff, Kibaou, and a small number of other players were there, collectively attacking the boss. Heathcliff seemed to be faring the best out of all of them, having not lost a sliver of HP, and blocking all of the monster's attacks with ease. Kibaou, however, was not as fortunate. The boss jolted its head to the left, catching the player off guard and impaling him in the stomach. The boss tossed Kibaou off his horns like he was a small animal, and began to lift its front legs off the ground, rearing up like a horse. Kirito remembered this attack from the beta. Apparently, either Heathcliff was lucky enough to predict what was happening, or he knew the boss' attack pattern, as he swiftly jumped back.

"Get back!" Kirito tried warn the players, but it was already too late. The boss brought down its front legs, striking the ground beneath it with unbelievable force. A shockwave erupted around it, sending the remaining players flying backwards, each losing a sizable amount of their HP. "Damn it..." Kirito said to himself as he rushed for the boss, who took notice of Kirito and began to charge at him.

Kirito put his sword in front of him to block the attack, the impact jarring his hands as the boss refused to relent, continuing to push forward with all its might. Kirito had to put his other hand on the end of the blade to make sure it wouldn't overpower him. The boss finally backed up, only to prepare to charge again. Kirito was prepared this time however, as he rolled out of the way, making a long, deep cut along the boss' side. This only seemed to anger it, and before he could react, the ox turned itself around and charged again, this time knowing it could land its attack, and it was right.

The animal's horn stabbed into Kirito at the upper part of his stomach, continuing to charge until Kirito felt his back slam against a wall, pushing the horn deeper into his body. Kirito screamed as the animal continued to push deeper and deeper. Kirito glanced at his health bar. One fifth remained. Knowing he had only seconds left, Kirito lifted his blade using what little strength he had left, and swung downward. The blade cleaved the boss' head off. Kirito fell to the ground, almost unconscious. He swiped his finger downward to open the menu, and after a few more button presses, a small red bottle materialized in his hand. A healing potion. He quickly took the lid off of it and drank, watching his health bar refill more with each swallow. The pain subsided, and Asuna came running towards him. She knelt down beside him and hugged him as tightly as she could.

"Dummy..." She said, sounding like she was about to cry. "...you almost got yourself killed."

"But I'm still here, aren't I?" He lifted her chin up, giving her a warm smile. Kibaou had to interrupt them, however, clearing his throat as he began to approach them. _Who gave that asshole a healing potion?_ He thought to himself as he looked over Asuna's shoulder, who was still hugging him tightly. "You've got to be kidding me. You're doing this now, of all places?"

"We still have to finish this, like you said." In all honesty, Kirito just expected him to die somewhere in the midst of the boss fight.

Kirito lifted his hand and stuck up his middle finger. "You're a special kind of stupid, you know that?"

Kibaou growled and drew his sword, placing the tip of it on Asuna's back. "Hey you dumb slut, move out of the way unless you want to end up getting stabbed, too." Was he serious?

Asuna simply turned and also flipped him off. "Piss off, dumbass. You need to learn when to quit." She stood and drew her rapier.

Kibaou backed away. "You're going to fight me? A dumb bitch like you?" She immediately pressed her blade against his throat, even making a small cut.

"I'm getting really tired of your bullshit. You need to stop being such a dumbass before someone decides to stick a blade in your stomach." She sheathed her rapier and walked back towards Kirito.

The guilds regrouped, and went their separate ways. Klein's guild headed for the third floor, as well as Kibaou's. The KoB, on the other hand, returned to their headquarters.

* * *

><p>"I suppose the first thing I should say, is welcome to the guild. A member, Ryu, died in the line of duty today, and while his loss is tragic and he will be missed, it does mean Asuna is now permitted to join the guild. You both displayed great courage and combat prowess, and we gladly accept you into the guild." Heathcliff told the two of them. Kirito breathed a sigh of relief. "I have assigned Kuradeel to protect the two of you-"<p>

"We protect each other. No disrespect towards Kuradeel, but we are more than capable of defending ourselves." Kirito interrupted.

Heathcliff continued. "He will simply accompany you on any voyages outside of the town. Just to ensure your safety." Kirito clenched his fist, but he knew there was no point in arguing with him. Heathcliff turned to the guard standing next to him. "Derrick, show them where the the members of the guild sleep. We will not be relocating the headquarters until it becomes necessary." Derrick nodded, and walked between Kirito and Asuna.

"Follow me." He led them up a flight of stairs, and two hallways appeared before them. "Just pick a room that isn't marked as taken. Each has two beds and a bathroom." The man walked back down the stairs. Kirito walked up to one of the rooms labeled '6A'. He opened the door, signifying it was vacant. The description was accurate; two beds, one door that supposedly led to a bathroom, and a window in the center of the wall opposite the entrance. Kirito unequipped his boots and sword, and jumped into one of the beds.

"What are you doing?" Asuna asked.

"Sleeping. They could call us out for a mission any time, including the middle of the night. We'd better rest while we can."

"Oh, I get it." She set down her rapier and got into one of the beds. She looked across at Kirito, who was already beginning to drift off. "I love you." She whispered to him.

Kirito opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "Love you too." He said with a warm smile. He closed his eyes and dozed off.

* * *

><p>Kirito was almost to the door when he heard Heathcliff call his name. "Where do you think you're going?" Kirito approached him.<p>

"I was going out for some dinner with Asuna, maybe do a little EXP farming just outside of town."

"First, if you are going to be a member of the KoB, you've got to look the part." He opened his menu. After a few seconds, Kirito saw the notification that a new item had appeared in his inventory. "I feel that it suited your particular taste." It was a long coat, even longer than his Coat of Midnight. He would have been fine with that if it weren't a blinding white with red details.

"Do I really have to wear this? It's a little... flashy." He sounded embarrassed.

"Of course. All guild members must wear the official guild colors - red and white."

Kirito sighed. "Fine." He pressed 'equip' on the item, and his Coat of Midnight disappeared, the long white outfit taking its place. He turned and left the building, Asuna waiting just outside the door with her new outfit on. It was a long coat like his, although slightly more open in the front. It had white boots and a short red skirt that stopped a few centimeters above her knees.

"What do you think?" She asked him cheerfully.

"It's a little... revealing..." He said, gesturing at the short skirt.

"Hey, it could be worse. You remember how a lot of other fantasy games have really skimpy outfits for females, don't you?" He remembered it all too well. It had become a staple in fantasy games. "And they told me it was really expensive to make." She looked at his new outfit. "You look cute." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

He'd never been good in situations like this. He did his best. "Thanks." He kissed her back. "So, dinner?"

"I heard that the restaurant has a really good dessert. But it's a little on the expensive side." Kirito checked his inventory. Ten thousand credits.

"I think I can handle it." They smiled at each other, and the two of them headed for the diner.


	10. UPDATE NO 3

Well, I'm sorry, but the next chapter will be a couple more days. This week has been pretty hectic for me, and I have several things going the next few days with family, friends, and school, so the next chapter may be here Saturday. I can't make any promises, but that is the next possible day in which I can get the next chapter out. Sorry for the wait. :( Just figured I'd update it while I could to explain why it's taking longer than usual.


	11. Chapter 8

Kirito stood at the entrance to the twenty-third floor, Asuna by his side. Neither of them could believe the incredible progress the guilds had made in the past few months since clearing the first floor. Kirito tried to think of how long they had been in there. At least six months.

They had only had one other incident with Laughing Coffin since the first one thankfully, but the bounties on the two of them had only increased. Surprisingly enough, Asuna had risen through the ranks of the guild to become the sub-commander. Kirito, on the other hand, simply stayed as a member, nothing special. Every time Heathcliff wasn't there to lead them, Asuna was there, Kirito with her. Knowing that they rarely disagreed, and they were some of the best players in the game, Heathcliff relied on them quite heavily; and they never disappointed him.

The guild had relocated to the twenty-first floor not too long ago, into a rather large castle that was almost too big for a guild of their size at eight floors. They had also made close friends with a player named Godfree, a man who appeared to be in his thirties and had a distinctive goatee to compliment his brown, spiky hair. He soon joined the two of them just as they began to walk back to the guild HQ. "So, Kirito, any worries about Laughing Coffin lately?"

"Nope. We haven't heard from them in the past few weeks, but every time I check, the bounty for us is just a little bit higher."

"I see. Any plans for the rest of the week?"

Asuna answered. "We were thinking about going over to a big canyon I heard about. It supposedly has a lot of mobs to kill in there." She paused for a moment. "Care to join? Heathcliff needs Kirito to help him clear out a dungeon."

"I'll consider. What mobs?"

"Wasps and a few goblins. It's a lot of EXP ready to be taken."

"Alright, I'll go. I hate those damned wasps, though."

Asuna giggled. "I'll be sure to kill any that get too close to you."

"I think I'll be fine. Anyways, I'll take my leave then." Godfree walked over to the KoB, who was now leaving the dungeon. The Aincrad Liberation Force headed past the two of them up towards the twenty-third floor.

Kirito and Asuna ran back down the steps to join the other KoB players and mounted their horses. Kirito looked over at Asuna. "You know, even though I've had this since the second floor, I still can't stand how damn bright and flashy this outfit is."

"Will you get over this already? Seriously, how many times have you told me this?"

Kirito sighed. "I know. That's how much it bothers me though."

"Then resign from the guild if it bothers you that much." She said jokingly.

The guild was beginning to move. "I may talk to him about it, actually. Anyways, see you back at the HQ."

* * *

><p>The squad stood outside the entrance to the dungeon. Kirito admired his new blade: Elucidator, a shiny, black longsword with a rather unorthodox handguard that at first made the blade feel slightly unbalanced, but he figured he would get used to it. Much like the Anneal Blade, it was too long to draw from the back. In addition, the blade required a very high strength stat to wield. It was a drop he received from dealing the killing blow to a large mob in a nearby field.<p>

"The main objective is simply to clear the dungeon. We kill the mobs and leave." Heathcliff announced to the party. "Spread out, and kill any hostile mob you see." He slowly opened the door and the group entered. Inside, there was a loot chest in the middle of the room, waiting to be opened. Kirito knew that the moment it was opened, the mobs would spawn. Derrick approached the chest and opened it, deliberately causing the mobs to spawn. Humanoid creatures with stone-like, rough armor, and crude iron blades. Kirito jumped at the nearest one, slicing it in half at the waist. Three more approached him, blades raised and ready to strike. He swiftly dodged the first one and parried another, causing it to accidentally hit the other monster's sword, just barely missing him.

In a 360 degree swing, he cut through all of the mobs around him. This action, however, left him with little time to react to the mob lunging at him. He tried to sidestep the attack, but he received a small cut on his left arm. He used the opportunity to stab the mob in its side, causing its corpse to fall to the floor.

Heathcliff still hadn't lost a sliver of HP, masterfully blocking every strike. Every time a strike missed, he would punish the mob's mistake by swiftly stabbing them, and resuming his blocking stance. Catching a small break in the action, Kirito thought of how Asuna was doing. Their passion for each other hadn't cooled one bit in the few months they had been together. They had even begun to sleep together, and each time they kissed, it seemed a little more intense, like a little more passion was behind it. He couldn't help but wonder when they would take their relationship further...

His thoughts were interrupted by the last mob in the area swinging at him. He ducked, the blade even cutting a lock of his hair. He thrust his arm forward, completely impaling the monster. He lifted his leg and put his foot on its chest, pushing it off his blade. In addition to the EXP and credits, Kirito saw the notification that a new item was in his inventory. He viewed the item and read its name: 'The Silent'. It resembled his Coat of Midnight, in the sense that it was a long, black trench coat. It came with two black steel gauntlets that looked strong enough to stop a sword strike. He was puzzled by the lack of a chestplate, however. Instead, there was a tight-fitting V-neck shirt tucked into a pair of black pants. Either way, he couldn't equip it, being in the KoB and all.

The squad regrouped near the loot chest. "What was inside?" Heathcliff asked.

"Five-thousand credits and a few healing potions." Derrick answered.

"Decent enough." He raised his voice. "Return to HQ by sundown." He said as the group left the dungeon. However, everyone in the group seemed to be surprised by a member of the guild running towards them, a horrified look on his face. "What's the issue?" Heathcliff asked the player.

"Were Asuna and Godfree in a party today?"

Kirito answered. "Yes! What happened?"

He swallowed and looked up at Heathcliff. "Godfree... he's dead sir. We think it was Laughing Coffin."

Kirito felt like he'd been hit by a train. His hands began to tremble as Heathcliff replied. "...And Asuna?"

Kirito wanted to scream when he heard the reply. "Captured."


	12. Chapter 9

Hey! I'll try to keep updating a little more frequently now, considering the one-week absence. Once again, I love all the support I'm getting, I really can't explain how good it feels. :) Anyways, I'll have to change the rating to 'M' for now. I may just change it back to 'T' and put a warning at the beginning of this and the following chapter, mainly because of a little more graphic than normal descriptions of violence, and... well... you'll see for yourself the other reason.

* * *

><p>Kirito joined the other members of the KoB around a massive stone table. Heathcliff was the first to speak. "As most of you know, sub-commander Asuna has been captured by Laughing Coffin." No one spoke a word. "We are here to decide on a proper method to see her return safely. Suggestions?"<p>

Kirito immediately responded. "We need to form a team of the best players in the guild, and attack their headquarters."

Heathcliff remained silent for a moment. "Does anyone have a suggestion other than Kirito?"

Derrick responded after a few moment's silence. "It's suicide. Their guild has over two hundred players, and possibly more than one base of operation. Even if we could pinpoint her location, we'd have to have a death wish to go in."

Kirito retorted. "We have to have her back, whether you like it or not. I could lead a small group to infiltrate their HQ and wipe them out."

"Are you insane?! Just because your little girlfriend got captured, it doesn't mean we have to help you get her back! For all you know, she could be dead already! Like it or not, no one is going to help you." Not a sound was heard from the other players.

Kirito swallowed. "Then... then I'll go myself. All I need is a horse and a few potions."

Derrick sighed. "This is asinine, if you want to go kill yourself over a little girl, then by all means, do it. Just do it without wasting some of our equipment."

Another member of the guild finally spoke up. "What do you say about this, Heathcliff? You're being awfully quiet."

"...He can take my horse and five healing potions. But, Kirito... you have to know that almost certain death awaits you."

That was all he needed. He turned and started walking out the door. "Don't try and stop me." He wanted to say something that would leave them in silence. He stopped at the doorway and looked back at the guild. "I'll kill them all."

* * *

><p>Asuna opened her eyes. She didn't recognize her surroundings at first: A dungeon-like room that appeared to be underground, as there wasn't a single window. The only light offered was a torch. Down at her bare feet was a pool of dried blood. She then realized where she probably was as the memories of a few short hours ago came rushing back to her. She had just finished killing all of the mobs in the canyon when she felt her entire body go limp. It was then that she heard the high-pitched scraping noise of two blades hitting each other. After a few moments of what sounded like fighting, she heard a scream, presumably from Godfree, and blacked out.<p>

The next thing to catch her attention was the throbbing headache she felt. The pain suggested she could have been struck in the head by a blunt weapon like a mace, in order to knock her unconscious. Then, she noticed her arms were chained to the stone wall behind her, and that she was nude, save for a few ragged cloths, one acting as a loincloth, the other barely covering her breasts.

A player in a black cloak walked into the room. "Good, you're finally awake. Johnny would like to see you." He continued to walk towards her as he drew a small, thin knife. "But of course, you'll have to be paralyzed so you won't resist." Asuna began to struggle against her binds, but was stopped when the player gave her a small cut on her wrist, causing the timer to appear below her health bar, for one minute.

Three others came into the room and lifted her body off the ground, carrying her into what appeared to be a large, cave-like area. They fastened her arms back onto a wall behind her. A thin figure, once again in a black cloak, approached her as the others left. Even though he had a sword at his hip, he instead equipped a mace from his inventory. "Hello, Asuna."

Asuna lifted her head as the paralysis wore off. "Who... are you?"

"My player name is Johnny Black. I directly serve our guild's leader, PoH." He spoke with a deep, chillingly calm voice.

"...And?"

"...And you are going to die. Not today, however. I want to take my time with someone like you." His face broke into a wicked grin. He brought the mace closer to him, admiring the weapon. "I love the mace. It inflicts pain in such a more... satisfying way than with something like a sword. See for yourself." He raised the weapon, and swung as hard as he could, hitting her in just below her ribs. She screamed at the pain, and closed her eyes. She began to feel sick, and, after a few moments, found herself vomiting.

"F-fuck you..." She struggled to say. "Kirito will find you... and he'll ki-" She was interrupted by another strike, this time hitting her in the jaw, small spikes on the weapon leaving deep cuts on the side of her face.

"Excuse me?" He said arrogantly. "He'll do what, exactly?"

"He... he'll-" Once again the weapon struck her, cutting deeper into her face.

"I'm sorry, what?" He said, laughing as he grabbed her arm, placing one hand on her elbow.

Her voice almost a whisper, Asuna refused to submit. "...You-" He pushed up with all his strength, and Asuna screamed, almost crying as her left arm snapped. He lifted her chin.

"Aw, don't cry. It's almost over for today." Instead of hitting her again, he put the mace away. Asuna closed her eyes and fully realized how helpless she was. He pinched a part of the fabric covering her breasts, pulled it off, and tossed it to the floor. Asuna refused to open her eyes as he caressed her bare breasts, enjoying every moment of it. She silently prayed that Kirito would burst into the room and save her, but she knew she'd have no such luck.

He moved closer to her, still groping her breasts. He brought his head down, bringing his mouth ever closer to her nipple. "No... please..." Asuna squeaked. This only made him chuckle as he brought her nipple into his mouth. Asuna squealed as he released and raised his mace.

"See you tomorrow." He said as he swung, hitting her in the temple and knocking her unconscious. He called for the others to take her back to her cell.

* * *

><p>"Sorry, Kirito. No one knows where exactly the Laughing Coffin HQ is. You'll have to find one of their members and interrogate them if you want answers. None of the information dealers know where they are."<p>

Kirito sighed. "Thanks, Argo. Are there any members imprisoned that I could find?"

"Not that I know of. Anyways, I've got to get going, it's almost midnight. Good luck in finding her."

"Thank you." Kirito said. Him and Argo went their separate ways, Argo heading back to the local inn, Kirito heading to the town's exit. He turned around as he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He was surprised at who it was, but even more surprising, was what he saw them do. It was Kuradeel, and he quickly put his hand behind his back, like he was trying to conceal something. "Kuradeel? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I... I just wanted to wish you good luck."

"...Thanks. But... what's behind your back?"

He moved the item into his other hand, bringing his left arm back into view. However, just as he did, he caught a glimpse of some kind of black mark on his wrist. "Also... what was that black mark on your wrist?"

Kuradeel drew his sword and lunged at Kirito, who drew his blade and parried the attack, causing Kuradeel's thin sword to snap in half. Kuradeel backed away, staring in awe and in horror at Kirito. He threw down the remains of the weapon and took off running. Kirito didn't bother chasing him, instead, he changed his grip on Elucidator to where he was holding the weapon like a javelin. Then, with all his might, he threw the blade at Kuradeel, who must have been a good fifteen meters away. The blade sailed through the air, until it finally landed, striking the man in his leg. He fell to the ground in pain as Kirito approached him.

He picked up Elucidator and held the weapon above Kuradeel. "Where is she?" He said coldly. He brought the blade down, stabbing him in his arm. Kuradeel winced at the pain. "Where is she?" He said slightly louder. "Tell me now, or I end your pathetic life."

"You think you can scare me? If I die, then there are hundreds of other members who can take my place. You decided to cross paths with Laughing Coffin, and now, she's paying the price. You'll be incredibly lucky to find her alive. Even then, she'll be raped and beaten." He started to laugh. "There's nothing you can do." Kirito brought his sword down again, impaling Kuradeel in the chest. His health bar began to rapidly deplete.

"You have a few seconds. If you want to see your family again, then I suggest you speak up." Kirito said mercilessly.

"Fine! Fine! Open up your map, I'll show you the exact location!" Kuradeel said in a panic. Kirito opened up his menu and navigated to his map. Kuradeel pointed to a small cave entrance on the twentieth floor. "There. That's where we keep prisoners."

"Thanks." Kirito said as he removed the sword, only to raise it high above his head and bring it downwards one final time. Kuradeel didn't even have time to react before the blade struck his throat, instantly causing his remaining HP to disappear.

Onlookers stared at Kirito in horror. Kirito knelt down and grabbed the man's wrist, showing them the Laughing Coffin tattoo. He didn't even feel the need to say a word, he just sheathed his blade and mounted his horse.

* * *

><p>Asuna once again opened her eyes. Her breasts were still exposed, and she was still in a large amount of pain. She simply brought up her knees to her chest, backed into a corner of her cell, and started to cry. She wondered, was Kirito really going to save her? Was it even possible? And how much longer did she have to suffer?<p>

"K-Kirito..." She cried to herself. She wanted to see him again, to feel his warmth. To feel his lips against hers, to have the comfort of her lover next to her. She shivered in the cold darkness of her cell as she laid down, her sobbing becoming louder.

"Quiet down in there!" She heard a voice shout from outside her cell door. This only made her cry more. A cloaked figure entered the room, mace in hand. The person was too large to be Johnny Black, but was just as intimidating. He hit the upper part of her left arm, then her ribs, then her leg, causing more deep cuts and bruises with each strike. He finally stopped, and kicked her in the back one last time. "Now keep quiet, you dumb cunt." He spat as he left the room, slamming the iron door behind him, leaving Asuna once again alone and cold.

Her crying had reduced to whimpering, not only because of her fear and sadness, but also because if she tried to do anything more, a sharp pain coming from her ribs would shoot throughout her body. Blood was beginning to trickle down from her open wounds. She glanced at her health bar, still at a full one-third. It would likely be full by morning.

Asuna closed her eyes and continued to whimper, wondering if she would ever feel her lover's warmth again.


	13. Chapter 10

Asuna didn't get the slightest bit of sleep that night. All she could do was sit in the corner of her cell, whimper in pain, and pray that Kirito was coming for her. She knew, of course, the risk he would be taking to rescue her, but she tried her best to keep that thought out of her mind. Even though it was likely morning, no one had come into her cell yet. Finally, she heard her door unlock, and another member of Laughing Coffin began to approach her. Without either of them saying a word, he made sure she was paralyzed, and brought her back to Johnny Black, who seemed to be patiently awaiting her return.

"Ah, there she is." He said in the same, sickening voice as he walked towards her, mace drawn. "Are you still going to try and tell me that your little savior Kirito is going to come here and beat me?" She didn't say a word. "What's the matter?" He said as he raised the mace and swung, hitting her in the upper part of her left arm. She was in too much pain to scream. All she could do was let out a small cry. "Come on. What happened to that spirit you had yesterday?"

She finally lifted her head and spoke to him, although it was more of just desperation and blind hope than anything else. "He'll kill you! He'll kill all of you sick bastards!" She screamed at him.

Johnny stared at her. He admired her courage to say something like that, especially when chained against a wall, nearly naked and beaten half to death. He pulled out a small knife from his belt. "You have a lot of courage, I'll give you that." He said as he moved his face closer to her's. "But, probably too much for your own good."

* * *

><p>Kirito jumped down from his horse. He couldn't really call it his horse, as Heathcliff had simply allowed him to borrow it. He looked at the location on the map. He was there, and the cave in front of him matched Kuradeel's description. As he approached, he noticed two players, in black cloaks of course, standing on either side of the entrance. He drew Elucidator as they drew their blades. They stood on either side of him, weapons pointed at him.<p>

One of the players cautiously spoke. "Well, if it isn't the Black Swordsman. Drop the weapon, and you may be allowed to see her again before the two of you die." Kirito didn't respond. He stood in place, waiting for one of them to attack. But he knew they wouldn't attack without reason to.

"Get it over with. You," he gestured at the one to his right. "kill me. Right now. Claim the bounty you all want so desperately." The one to his left lowered his guard, and the one to his right thrust his sword, and should have impaled him. But Kirito parried the strike, leaving his opponent open. He thrust Elucidator, stabbing the player in the center of his chest. He pulled out the blade and blindly swung to his left, unknowingly parrying his next opponent's attack. With the same technique, he impaled, and killed the player. In only a few seconds, he had swiftly killed both of them. Without looking back at his slain opponents, he charged into the cavern, ready for vengeance.

* * *

><p>He raised the knife closer to Asuna. "Don't worry, it will be over soon." He continued to bring the knife closer, until it was resting directly in front of her left eye.<p>

Asuna realized what he was about to do, but too late to say or do anything about it. In a quick motion, he swiped the knife sideways. She felt the unholy pain, as she instantly lost vision in her eye. She felt blood flowing down her face almost immediately. She made a weak scream as he repeated the action to her right eye, leaving her blinded. She wanted to just keel over and bleed out, as long as she didn't have to do this anymore. She couldn't believe it herself, but at this point, she wanted to die.

* * *

><p>Kirito walked down the steps from the area he'd just fought through. He looked at his health bar satisfied, as he had hardly lost any health. He then lifted Elucidator, strangely feeling the urge to grin as he looked at the weapon, covered in blood.<p>

* * *

><p>"Please... just kill me..."<p>

Johnny looked at her and grinned. "Why? I'm not through with you yet." He knelt down in front of her. Asuna yelped as he took hold of what little was covering her, and pulled it off, leaving her completely exposed. Johnny backed away. "For a dumb, insolent bitch, you have quite the lovely body." Tears were beginning to stain her face almost as much as blood. She wanted the sweet release of death almost as much as she wanted to have Kirito wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She knew that neither of them could come as soon as she wanted, though.

"...Why are you doing this? What to you gain from this?" Part of her wanted to try and get him to stop, even though she knew better, and the other wanted this to aggravate him, allowing her to hopefully die sooner.

"Because I enjoy it. Need I say more?" He caressed the curves of her body. "In this world, there are no rules, no boundaries, no penalties for your actions. Once punishments are taken out of the question, it is insanity to not embrace your instinct. It is, after all, what makes us human."

"You... you're no human. You're a disgusting, vile monster." He seemed not to notice her words, he just continued to caress her body, using his hands, and sometimes his tongue for the most intimate places. It was even worse not being able to see it happening.

Finally, she felt him stop. He stood up, only to strike her again with the mace. Asuna couldn't see her health bar, but she guessed it was getting incredibly low. She couldn't help but think of how close she was to death. How close she was to freedom. But, as much as she wanted for her pain to end, she still wanted to live to see Kirito more. She figured she was about to die, so she might as well have him in her last thoughts. She wanted to feel his lips, to feel his warmth again. To see the one she loved one last time. "Kirito..." She unknowingly whimpered.

She heard the sound of a weapon being drawn from a scabbard right in front of her. It was finally about to end. But, instead of feeling the pain of her body being pierced and taking her last breaths, she heard a loud slam somewhere to her right. "You!" She heard Johnny Black exclaim. Who was he talking about? "How the hell did you get in here?!" He spat.

Kirito, now covered in the blood of tens of Laughing Coffin members, kept Elucidator sheathed. Johnny charged at him, swinging downward. Kirito moved ever so slightly forward, and caught Johnny's hand just before the blade landed on his shoulder. Grabbing the guard of the weapon, he swung his leg forward, kicking Johnny in the stomach, who was knocked back by the attack. Kirito walked towards his opponent, who was panicking at the loss of his blade. He had been foolish enough to set down the mace next to Asuna. Kirito grabbed the weapon with both hands, and lunged. He swung horizontally as hard as the system would allow, feeling satisfied as the blade made contact, cleaving Johnny in half. His torso fell to the floor, a sliver of health left. Kirito raised the blade high above his head, and with all the strength he could gather, thrust the blade downard, into Johnny's head.

He stood above his enemy's corpse up until it shattered into thousands of little blue polygons. Asuna, on the other hand, had no idea what had just occurred. Kirito walked towards her. "Asuna?" He said, his eyes becoming wet with tears.

Asuna made a small gasp. "K-Kirito..." He brought the healing potion up to her lips, and cut her free from the chains that bound her.

"It's okay. Drink this." Even though she couldn't see it, her health bar completely refilled, until all of her pain finally disappeared. She opened her eyes, overjoyed to see Kirito standing in front of her. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her, covering her nude body.

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. "I... I'm sorry..." She said, sobbing. "I've been such a burden on you... the next time something like this happens, you don't have to save me..."

He held her close. "I will. No matter what happens, I'll save you. Once, I promised you would get to see your family again one day. But now, it's more than that. I love you, Asuna. I'll never let go."

* * *

><p>"Impressive." Heathcliff said to Kirito.<p>

"Thank you. I'm not requesting a reward of any kind, but, may I ask that you allow Asuna time to recover?"

"Of course. Both you and her deserve time off. Take as much time as you need, this was a rather difficult challenge for the both of you, and you have more than earned a leave of absence."

Kirito smiled. "Thank you, sir." Kirito left Heathcliff and rushed to their living quarters. Asuna was already there, waiting for him.

She looked up and him and smiled as Kirito sat down on the bed next to her. She quickly grabbed him by his shoulders and passionately kissed him. Once she finally released, Kirito backed away slightly. "Don't do anything you're uncomfortable with. Considering..."

"It's the very least I could do. Either way, why would it bother me? I love you, you're the one I'm most comfortable with."

Kirito placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you say so." He whispered, and he returned the kiss.

Once they released, Asuna looked away from Kirito as her expression changed to one that seemed more fearful. "S-Sorry..." Kirito said.

"It's not that..." She leaned against him. "It's just that... back there, when I was chained to that wall... I... I wanted to die..." She looked like she was about to start crying again. "...I thought I would never see you again..." She moved her head down to his chest, staining his shirt with tears. Kirito lifted her chin up, and once again kissed her.

They stared at each other for what felt like several minutes, even if it had only been a few seconds. "Asuna, I love you."

Asuna hugged him as hard as she could, and whispered in his ear, "I love you too."


	14. Chapter 11

Kirito put his arm around Asuna, who was standing outside on the balcony. She leaned against him. It was their first day at the new house Kirito had bought in a forested section of the twenty-second floor. He looked down at the forest below. The sun was getting progressively lower in the sky, casting a beautiful golden light on the trees ahead of them. Massive storm clouds were also off in the distance. Kirito guessed they would arrive later that night.

There was a small drop-off just beyond the thick foliage, giving the two of them a clear view of the snow-capped mountains off in the distance. There was a light breeze, just enough to rustle some of the smaller branches as well Kirito's hair, who tried to sweep away the bangs falling in front of his eyes. Of course, they were blown right back down in front of his face.

Kirito sighed as he leaned against the railing, muttering, "The hell with it." Asuna giggled at his frustration.

He wondered how she did it. While she certainly seemed a lot less confident than before the events that occurred a week ago, she still largely acted like the Asuna he remembered. Kirito, on the other hand, while joyous to have her back alive, couldn't help but feel increasingly guilty. Yes, they were all sadistic killers, but either way, he had slaughtered tens of them. It was in no way a fair fight, as he vastly out-leveled every single one of them. Was he really so different from them? Some of them likely hadn't even killed their first person, and they died simply because they belonged to the wrong guild.

Kirito pushed the thought aside when he remembered the sight of Asuna, chained to a wall, naked, beaten to near death, and blinded. But when he thought of that, he soon found himself contemplating if it was really worth it to let her come with him. Was the reason she had to endure that simply because he made a bad judgment call? He looked at her for a moment. Her chestnut orange-brown hair naturally flowed in the wind, and her dazzling hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

"What's wrong?" Asuna asked. Kirito realized he'd been gazing at her for several seconds, and she'd noticed. "Why were you staring at me like that?"

"It-It's nothing." Kirito replied. "I... I was just wondering if it was really worth it to let you come with me. Because... if you had stayed behind, then you may not have had to go through what you did." Asuna seemed taken back by what he just said. "This... this was my fault." His eyes were starting to become wet. "You've almost died twice now because of how stupid I am..."

Asuna placed her hands on his shoulders. "It was more than worth it to me. I would do that a thousand times over, as long as I got to stay with you."

"I don't deserve you. I'm a murderer worse than everyone in Laughing Coffin... almost fifty people died at the end of my blade, and I didn't even know a single one of their names. Now, I don't blame everyone for wanting me dead..."

"How... how could you say something like this? After all we've been through, after all you've done... you're saying that I'm not worth it?" She was about to cry herself. "They were all scumbags!"

"Scumbags with families who loved them." Kirito retorted. "I took that away from them, and I almost took that away from yours... even mine... that's why I don't deserve someone who's... as beautiful as you."

Asuna didn't want to cry again, but she doubted she could help it. "Stop! Do you know what I would do if you left me?!" She brought herself closer to him. "I'd... I would... I would kill myself!" She shouted at him, burying her face in his shirt, staining it with tears. Kirito stood in shock, struggling to think of what to say.

"Asuna, stop." It took her several seconds, but she finally looked up at him. "It was worth it. I'm more than grateful to have someone like you."

"You... you're just saying that. I'm a such a mess..."

"I need you, Asuna. In this world, I feel like you're the only one who actually cares about me." He hugged her tightly. "And if you don't believe me, then I'll prove it to you in any way I can."

She moved to where the tip of her nose was practically his. "I guess you can start by kissing me." He gladly obliged, making sure their kiss was long and deep. Kirito had moved his hands down to her hips, and Asuna had her arms over his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. He gently moved his hands up to her back, savoring every moment of it as she held him even more tightly. Neither of them wanted it to end. But, unfortunately, it had to. Kirito felt her soft, silky lips leave his own as they slowly, tenderly released. He opened his eyes to see hers, still mere inches away.

He took the time to absorb just how beautiful she really was. Wispy bangs covered most of her forehead, although they weren't quite as long as his. Her eyes were still shining radiantly in the sunlight, and her face was stained in dry tears. "Is that all you want me to do?" Kirito whispered, secretly hoping it wasn't.

Asuna gave him a reassuring, heartwarming smile. "Far from it."

* * *

><p>Raindrops pelted the balcony outside. There was nothing to light the room except for a small candle resting on the table next to their bed, and the occasional flash of lightning, which was soon followed by a clap of thunder. Each time Asuna jumped a little, squeezing whatever she was holding onto for the next few moments before relaxing again. Lightning once again illuminated the room. However, this time, what followed was a deafening boom of thunder, causing Asuna to quietly yelp and hold onto Kirito as hard as she could. For the moment though, neither of them wanted to mention it.<p>

She rested on top of him, kissing him with nothing held back. She moved her hands down to his waist, grabbing the bottom of his shirt. In a quick motion, she lifted her body up off of his, taking his shirt with her. She tossed it to the side, and once again pressed her lips against his. This time was noticeably shorter, due to Kirito lifting her off.

"What's wrong?" She asked in the sweetest possible tone.

"Nothing. But, I just don't think we should go any further. It just doesn't feel... right. We can keep doing this, if you want to."

"It's fine. I'm getting a little sleepy, anyways. How about you?"

"I'm pretty tired, too." She nodded, and placed her head back down on his bare chest. She lifted it again slightly once an idea hit her.

"Hey, Kirito?"

"Yeah?"

"What's you're real name? I just want to know."

"Kazuto. Kirigaya Kazuto. And yes, that is how I thought of the name Kirito." She grinned.

"Kazuto..." she whispered. "Asuna is also my real name. Yuuki Asuna. Do you have any siblings? What's you're family like?"

"Well... I live with my Aunt Midori and my Uncle Minetaka, even though he isn't around much. My real parents are... gone." Asuna moved to where she could face him easier. "I also have my younger sister, Suguha, but even she is not really my sister. My first cousin, actually. We're like siblings though."

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I wasn't old enough to remember my parents well."

"Okay. Hey, speaking of, how old are you?"

Kirito thought about this for a moment. "I think I turned fifteen a month or two ago."

Asuna smiled. "I turned fifteen a month ago, also. Anyways, I have my mother, Kyouko, and my father, Shouzou." She paused for a moment. "The funniest thing, is that my brother, Kouichirou, bought this NerveGear and copy of Sword Art Online. He wasn't able to play it on launch day, so I decided to try it out. That's how I ended up here, but, in all honesty, I'm glad it happened like this. If it didn't, I would have never met you. You do live in Tokyo, right?"

"Of course."

"Then I look forward to seeing you in real life when this is all over." She snuggled herself up next to him and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Kirito. I love you."

Kirito smiled, knowing that one day, he would get to say this to her in the real world. "I love you, too."


	15. Chapter 12

Kirito held Asuna's hand, the two of them strolling through the forest, observing the brilliant scenery. She asked if they could go for a walk in the forest that morning, but it took convincing for Kirito, as it was rather cold; they both knew they were going to need coats if they went. However, she eventually managed to convince him when she told him she'd make them breakfast and dinner.

It was Kirito's first time to wear his new coat: 'The Silent'. It offered a significant increase in the sneaking skill, and also the only coat as far as Kirito was concerned, to muffle the player's footsteps, regardless of what boots the player was wearing.

Asuna felt the need to start a conversation. "So, what's you're family like?"

"Well... my parents- I mean, step-parents aren't ever really around much. My Aunt comes home late at night and leaves early in the morning, so I only ever really get to see her on weekends, but even then she's busy with paperwork. What's you're family like?"

"To be honest, I haven't really missed them much. We're pretty rich, but sometimes I wish we weren't. My brother is basically never around, and the few times that he is, he doesn't spend any time with me. My parents, on the other hand, don't even act like I'm their daughter sometimes. Ever since I was twelve, they've told me about arranging who I'm going to marry, like I shouldn't have any say in it."

Kirito nodded. "Well, they surely love you, don't they?"

"I'm honestly not sure sometimes. Every time I try and make friends, it seems like they're looking right over my shoulder to tell me why I shouldn't be friends with 'that poor scrub.' I don't think they'll be too fond of you, either." Kirito realized how much it made sense. She didn't have any friends in Aincrad before she met him, and she always seemed so direct with her emotions. Because her parents wouldn't allow her to have many friends, she didn't have the best social skills. But, to be frank, he didn't either, considering most of his time was spent in front of a computer monitor, playing games.

"I don't really care. If they don't like us being together, then they'll just have to deal with it." Kirito said confidently.

Asuna looked a little more timid. "Hey, can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"You... you're the only reason I'm fighting. I... I want to be with you in the real world. To date each other for real..." Kirito tightened his grip around her hand.

"When all this is over... you're the first person I want to see, Asuna." He barely had time to react before she leaned over and kissed him. By the time the kiss had ended, he was lost in the thought of one day, sharing a kiss with her in the real world.

She tugged on his arm. "Come on, let's head back to the cabin."

* * *

><p>Kirito knew they were almost back to the cabin. But there was also something out of place. At first he thought he was hearing things that weren't really there, but as they came progressively closer to the cabin, it became clear that something was there. It sounded like deep thudding, like a large boulder being dropped onto the ground multiple times. Kirito instinctively equipped Elucidator, and told Asuna to stay back. Expecting it to be a large mob, Kirito charged in. What he wasn't expecting, was a girl, who looked even to be younger than him, fighting a massive gorilla.<p>

"Get back!" Kirito exclaimed.

"Oh, please." The girl replied, confidently. Kirito was about to respond, but before he could, she dodged one of the monster's attacks and swiftly stabbed it in the chest. Her form was nearly perfect; the attack didn't so much as graze her, and her thrust was strong enough to completely impale the creature.

Kirito was nearly at a loss for words. "Um... may I ask what exactly was going on here?"

She responded almost instantly, seemingly unfazed from what all had just happened. "I was fighting that mob, idiot." She said playfully. As she approached him, Kirito got a better view of her appearance. Her skin was rather pale, and her hair was a dark shade of violet; almost black. She had a black claymore strapped to her belt, and her torso was covered with a glossy black chestplate. She had absolutely no protection on her arms except for two purple sleeves that left her shoulders exposed. In addition, she wore black boots that came up to her knees, along with a short black skirt underneath a purple dress that was open at the front. "If you must know, I was trying to lead the thing away from where I had a little campsite set up." She spoke with a confident, yet bright, cheerful tone.

"So... who are you?" Somehow Asuna had snuck up on the two of them.

"My name's Yuuki, and I'm thirteen." She replied.

Kirito spoke next. "You seem a little young to be in this place by yourself. Is there anyone else with you?"

"Nope, just me. Besides, I like the challenge of being a solo player; it's more fun that way." She said with an impossibly wide grin. Kirito wondered how she was so confident. Was she just trying to have some fun? Or was she just too much of an airhead to fully grasp the situation?

"Well... where's that campsite you were talking about?" Kirito asked.

"It's just over there." She pointed to a small clearing partially hidden by short trees and shrubbery. "I set it up a few minutes ago, considering that it's almost night." She gestured at the sun. Somehow neither of them had noticed the deep orange sky that always signified dusk was approaching.

Asuna's face lit up. "Hey! You could stay over at our place tonight, if you'd like! Right, Kirito?"

Asuna looked expectantly at Kirito. He didn't want to disappoint her. "Um, well... I guess you could. It's going to be pretty cold tonight."

The girl's face broke into yet another wild grin. "Thank you! I'll go get my stuff." As she went off into the clearing, Kirito turned to Asuna.

"Not that I don't mind her staying at our place for the night, but you kind of put me on the spot there." He spoke quietly to be sure Yuuki didn't overhear them.

"I couldn't help it, though. She seems so sweet." Asuna said, smiling. Yuuki already had her items back in her inventory and was walking their way.

"Just, next time, talk it over a little more, okay? What if it was a bounty hunter who claimed they needed a place to stay?"

"Well, I highly doubt she's a bounty hunter." Before she could continue, she saw Yuuki a few feet away, supposedly packed and ready.

Kirito started to walk back to the cabin. "I guess we're off, then."

* * *

><p>Kirito put the last bite of food Asuna had prepared them into his mouth. He closed his eyes, savoring every second of it. Even if it was just a video game, she was an amazing cook. Yuuki finished her plate, too.<p>

"Mmmm, thank you!" She exclaimed.

Asuna smiled. "No problem! So, do you have anything to sleep in tonight?"

Kirito responded before either of them could continue. "We have a guest bedroom." Kirito gestured at the door behind Yuuki. "The whole room's yours. Do whatever you want."

She smiled once again. "Thanks!"

Asuna stood up from the table. "Well, Kirito, I'm going to bed. Come on up whenever you get a chance." Kirito nodded just as she started up the stairs.

He stood up with his plate in hand, and walked over to Yuuki's side. "You done?" He gestured at her rather clean plate.

"Yep." Kirito took her dish and took it over to the sink.

"So, Yuuki."

"Yeah?"

"You seem pretty cheerful. Like, all the time. Any reason for that?" She stood up and began to walk into the guest bedroom.

"There's more to it, but it's just mainly my personality, I guess."

Kirito was already halfway up the stairs. "Alright. Well, good night, then."

"Good night!" She called out.

* * *

><p>Kirito laid down in bed, looking up at the ceiling. Asuna had her head rested on his chest. "Hey, Asuna?" He whispered.<p>

"Yeah?"

"Does anything seem... off? To you, about Yuuki? I mean, she's nice and all, but it's like she's unnaturally happy, like she's trying to hide something."

Asuna sighed. "Will you quit being paranoid? What gave you that idea?"

"Well, just before I came up here, I asked her why she was so cheerful." Asuna nodded. "She acted like she was trying to avoid the real answer, like there was a deeper meaning behind it. She even said that there was more to it, but it was mainly her personality, whatever that means."

"She's just a happy person. How hard is it to understand?" Kirito closed his eyes.

"I guess you're right. Anyways, good night, Asuna."

"Good night, Kirito."


	16. UPDATE NO 4

Hey! First of all, I'm sorry the next chapter is taking so long. My last several days have been very busy, and I've had no chances to squeeze in a chapter. I'll try to get it up tomorrow, but if I can't, then I apologize in advance. On a more positive note, however, damn! 30+ favorites and 60+ follows?! Thank you so much! I never thought I would make it to this point. :D Anyways, as always, I would VERY much appreciate a review so you can let me know what you like/dislike about the story, as well as future ideas/suggestions you may have. (No smut, though)

P.S. If you don't mind MAJOR spoilers (and I'm talking about the kind that could potentially ruin an arc for some people) for the current arc in the anime, then look up Yuuki on the SAO wiki. It will give you a good idea of things to come in the story.


	17. Chapter 13

"So, how did you two meet?" Yuuki asked as she finished her breakfast.

"We met back on the first floor, actually. We had to party up to deal with the boss, and after we'd beaten it, we decided to stay together." The two of them looked at each other, smiling. "Neither of us have regretted that decision." Just as he finished, a notification appeared on his menu. A new message... from Heathcliff.

"Hey, Asuna?"

"Yeah?"

"How would you feel about getting back to the KoB? Heathcliff just sent me a message saying they needed help clearing the boss on the... the 73rd floor."

Asuna replied immediately. "The 73rd floor?! How on Earth have they made it that far in only a couple of weeks?!" Kirito couldn't help but think the same thing. If they were really on the 73rd floor, then that would mean that they were more than halfway through. Kirito briefly thought of what it would feel like, to be fighting the final battle on the 120th floor, Asuna at his side. And if they continued at the same pace, then they would be out within a few more months at most.

Kirito realized he was getting a little too lost in his own thoughts. "I don't know, either. But it says right here that he wants our help in defeating the boss."

"You didn't tell me you two were in a guild." Kirito had almost forgotten Yuuki was there.

"Oh, um, yeah. We're in the KoB. Heathcliff let us have some time off for..." He really didn't want to tell her the whole story. "...for our help in defeating the bosses. Up until the 30th floor or so, it was mostly Asuna and me killing the bosses. Sure, the others helped, but it would almost always come down to the two of us."

"Wow, and I thought I was good. I'm only a level 87."

_She's a level 87?!_ Kirito thought to himself. She was certainly good, judging from what little of her he'd seen in combat, but to think that she was a level 87? That was just below his level of 94. "That's... that's just below me. How did you get that high?"

She gave him a reply instantly. "Ever since this whole thing started, I've just tried to make the best of it. I've been out searching for loot and more mobs to fight since I got my first sword." It was like she blatantly disregarded the massive risk of death. He wasn't sure if she was too much of an airhead to fully grasp what was at stake, or if she was just having fun. Either way, she may have only been a couple of years younger than him, but she acted almost like a child in their favorite toy store. Then again, that was what he acted like during the beta.

"You do know that your life is at risk, right? One slip-up, and it's game over. Literally."

Yuuki smiled, almost as if she liked that fact. "I don't care too much. When I die, then at least I'll be having a lot of fun leading up to it. I've always liked the idea of going out on a high note, so to speak." Kirito noticed that she used the word 'when' instead of 'if'. Was she expecting to die? And if so, then why wouldn't she quit being so careless? _What is she trying to hide? _He looked over at Asuna, and judging from her facial expression, she was thinking the same thing. Yuuki caught their attention again. "Hey, this is kind of changing the subject here, but... do you think I could get in to the KoB? I can't imagine how much fun it'll be out there, fighting the bosses!" She said so giddily that Kirito wondered for a short moment if she had a few screws loose.

"Well, you've certainly got the skill to join. And after clearing all those floors, I wouldn't be surprised if they were a few players short." Kirito paused for a moment. "But... I need to ask you something. You say that like it's no big deal, fighting the bosses. I almost died back when we fought the 2nd floor boss. It certainly wasn't fun. I guess what I'm trying to say is... it seems like you're a little reckless. Why exactly are you so eager to put your life in danger like that?"

As usual, she replied to him as fast as she could, only this time, her bright expression dimmed slightly. "Look, right now, all you need to know is that I want to make the absolute best of my time in here. I would explain it to you if I knew you a little better, but as of now, I don't know you well enough. Maybe sometime in the future."

Kirito was at a loss of words. At first he was suspicious of Yuuki, that she might not have been as good as her personality made her out to be, but he didn't even begin to consider the idea that it was a more personal matter. If anything, he felt sorry for being so nosy. "Oh... I'm sorry... I didn't cross my mind that it could have been a more personal matter. Sorry if I brought back some bad memories."

She perked back up the moment he finished. "Don't worry about it." She said sweetly.

Just before the silence that followed became awkward, Asuna spoke up. "Well then, should we be off to the KoB? They need our help, don't they?"

"Yeah. Just give me a sec..." He opened his menu, and before long, he had his old outfit equipped with Elucidator strapped to his belt. Asuna noticed the weapon, and realized that she didn't have a weapon of her own except a backup steel rapier.

"Oh! I just realized I don't have my Wind Fleuret anymore! I just have an old steel rapier that's at half durability."

Yuuki once again broke into a joyous grin. "Oh, Asuna? How's this?" In her hand was a shining, bright blue; almost silver rapier. The blade was about as long as the Wind Fleuret's from what he remembered, and the hand guard was a cylindrical shape with small details etched into the metal. The rest of the hilt was mostly silver, and encrusted with tens of small gems, most of which were blue. Looking at Asuna, Kirito could tell she was practically in love with the weapon.

"Ooh! Can I see it? Please!" She sounded almost as giddy as Yuuki.

Yuuki smiled and handed the weapon to her. Asuna looked at the stats of the weapon. The first thing she noticed was its very high durability, probably double that of her Wind Fleuret, and then she noticed just how light the weapon was. As she took a practice swing, it felt almost as if she was simply moving her arm. The weapon was just heavy enough to give her the sensation of holding a weapon of that length.

She read the name of it aloud. "The Lambent Light... how did you get this?"

"I got it a while back as loot from a really hard dungeon. Since I didn't use rapiers, I went to my friend, Lizbeth, who's a blacksmith, to see if she could buy the weapon from me. Surprisingly enough, she didn't have enough credits to pay for it! It's all yours, if you want it."

Asuna's eyes widened. "Really?! I can have this?!"

"Of course."

Asuna wrapped her arms around the girl, hugging her tightly, constantly telling her thank you. Kirito awkwardly looked away from the two of them. "Umm... guys?" The two looked back at him. "Don't you think we should get going? Heathcliff probably wants us there as soon as possible."

"Yes!" The two of them said in unison.


	18. Chapter 14

"Asuna, switch!" Kirito exclaimed as Asuna rolled beneath one of the giant arachnid's legs as it swung at her, slashing upwards and severing the limb. The boss shifted its focus to Kirito just as Asuna got out of its attack range. It thrust its remaining front leg at Kirito, with a barbed tip at the end long enough to completely pierce his body. He easily saw the strike coming and slowed himself ever so slightly, allowing him to leap up onto the leg, and leap again, this time at the monster's head, using the joint as a kind of springboard. He raised Elucidator high above his head, and letting out a battle cry he was certain almost everyone in the area could hear, he thrust downward, feeling the sudden impact jarring his hands as the blade broke through the spider's skull._  
><em>

There was a long, and surprisingly profound silence. After a few moments, Kirito jumped off the corpse, and sheathed Elucidator. Asuna was quick to join him. "How'd you learn to do that? There haven't been any other bosses like that, have there?"

Even he couldn't particularly explain it. He'd just let his entire body be controlled by his instincts for a few moments, and looking down at the body of the animal shattering into thousands of little blue polygons, he couldn't argue with the results. Klein was next to approach him, followed by Yuuki, who both had a look of awe. "Wow." Klein said, almost dumbfounded. "That... was badass."

Yuuki chimed in. "That was awesome! You've got to teach me how to do that!"

"I guess I just cut loose. There wasn't much to it other than letting myself be controlled all by my instinct." Kirito replied to the two of them as he opened up his menu to see what he'd received from killing the boss. 15,000 credits, and enough EXP to reach Level 95. However, there was a third reward. At first, Kirito couldn't believe what he was reading, but after opening up the description and reading the title several times over, it was certainly real.

'New Skill: Dual Blades - One of the three Unique Skills, this is granted only to the player with the fastest reaction time. It allows the user to potentially double their damage output as well as strengthen their defenses by allowing them to wield two weapons of their choice'.

His thoughts were interrupted by Heathcliff shouting from across the stone cavern, telling the KoB to regroup and return to base. "That's us!" Kirito exclaimed, running past Klein. He looked back at Klein. "We'll catch up later!"

* * *

><p>"So, basically, you can use two swords now?" Yuuki asked.<p>

"I'm guessing. Let me see your claymore." She handed the weapon to him. Working his way through the inventory, he equipped the weapon. The check mark next to Elucidator remained, and a new one appeared next to Yuuki's blade, signifying that they were both equipped. "Alright, stand back." Asuna and Yuuki took a few steps away from him. In a swift motion, he moved both swords to the opposite side of his body, causing his arms to overlap and putting him in the perfect position to swing both of them. He slashed both of the weapons horizontally in an 'X' pattern. A small gust of wind erupted from the center of the attack, even managing to blow down a few bangs in front of Yuuki's eyes.

"Woah..." Yuuki said in awe. "So it really does work." Normally, if a player tried to use two swords, the non-equipped weapon wouldn't cut, or even do the slightest bit of damage. If a player tried to parry an opponent's strike, their blade would pass straight through the weapon, making it useless for defense. It would essentially be dead weight.

He tossed the weapon back to Yuuki. "By any chance, do you know any good blacksmiths?"

She seemed surprised by the question. "Um... yeah. I told I have a friend names Lizbeth who's a blacksmith. She has a store on one of the lower floors." Again, that name. It seemed so familiar to Kirito.

"Do you think she could make me a weapon to complement this?" He held up Elucidator.

Yuuki responded in her signature giddy fashion. "Of course! Her smithing level is almost completely maxed."

Kirito looked up at the setting sun, just above the small buildings at the edge of the town. "Good. Then let's go see her tomorrow."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Yuuki! It's been a little while!" A girl in pink hair exclaimed as the three of them walked in. "When was the last time we saw each other? Wasn't it the 34th floor?" Kirito finally realized why the name 'Lizbeth' seemed so familiar to him. She was the one who sold him the Anneal Blade back on the first few floors. Her appearance hadn't changed at all from what he remembered: Hot pink hair, a few freckles dotting her cheeks, a red dress, a steel mace at her side, and a white blacksmith's apron.<p>

"Yeah! How's it been going for you lately, Liz?" It was like the two of them were destined to be friends. They both had such cheerful attitudes and facial expressions.

"I've been doing fine! Anyways, what brings you back here?"

"Well, I thought you might be able to help my friend, here." She gestured at Kirito.

"Ah, yes!" She walked out from behind the front counter, looking at him with an increasingly odd expression. "Haven't we met before? Like, a really long time ago?"

Kirito removed Elucidator, scabbard and all from his belt. "I think so. I might be the one who bought the Anneal Blade from you on the... second floor I believe?"

"Oh yeah! You were that one guy with an insane amount of money."

"That's me. Anyways, what I was wondering was if you could make me a sword. As good as this or better." He handed the weapon to Liz, who seemed to be thrown off balance by the weapon's sheer weight. She unsheathed the weapon, gazing at it. Finally, she opened up her menu and looked at the stats of the blade.

"An Elucidator... you know this is a rare blade, right? One of the best weapons in the game, actually. I'm not entirely sure I could make one like this." She paused for a moment. "The materials I'll need are on the 25th floor, and we'll have to fight a mini-boss to get it. No one is sure what the thing's actually like, but I've heard it's big enough to where we're going to need at least one extra person to beat it."

Kirito thought for a moment. "Hey! I know someone. I have a friend in one of the smaller floor-clearing guilds. He'll surely help us out." Knowing Klein, he certainly wouldn't pass up a chance to fight something like what she was describing.

"Who are you messaging?" Asuna asked him as he began typing.

"Klein. Yesterday was the first time in a while that we've seen each other, and I just wanted to catch up."

"Do you think he's strong enough?"

"He's the leader of his own guild. He's definitely strong enough." He showed the message to Asuna. "Is this good?"

She read over it. 'Hey, Klein! It's Kirito, and I just wondered if you were interested in helping us fight a mini-boss on the 25th floor. A friend says that it's supposed to be really big, and that we'll need the extra person to do it. You were the first one to come to mind, and since you're a capable fighter, I thought I'd message you. If you're interested, meet us at the entrance of the 25th floor at noon tomorrow'. "Looks good to me." She said. And at that, Kirito pressed the 'send' button.

* * *

><p>Hey! This is a little mini-update here. Anyways, two things. First, I fortunately have a full week off for Thanksgiving, so I'll probably update several times this week. Also, once the break is over, expect about 1-2 new chapters per week. That's the basic routine I've got going. Second, as always, please leave a review telling me your thoughts. It's always encouraging to see a new review posted, even if there is a fair amount of criticism in it. Not encouraging flames, but then again, I haven't seen a single real negative review posted yet (Thank you so much!). Speaking of reviews, please tell me how far you'd like to see this story go! I have a few ideas for after the Aincrad Arc, but at the same time, I don't want this to be longer than it needs to be. P.S. Thanks for 70 follows!<p> 


	19. Chapter 15

Kirito heard the familiar voice of Klein call his name. He turned to see him weaving through the small crowd of people at the entrance to the floor. He wore a primarily black samurai's outfit with red details underneath a long black coat, considering the profoundly cold weather. A long katana was strapped to his belt, and his once pink hair was now a dark orange, almost rusty color.

"Hey, Kirito!" He called again as he finally caught up with them. Their group immediately began walking as soon as he arrived.

There was a sense of relaxation once he got there. There was just something about him that kept Kirito at ease. On the other hand, Klein was practically staring at Lizbeth, who didn't seem to even notice Klein's dumb expression. Kirito tried to get his mind off her before it became awkward. "Other than clearing that boss, when was the last time we saw each other?"

Klein replied. "Somewhere in the first few floors I think. So... about eight months or so?"

"That sounds about right. Anyways, how's your guild been doing?"

"We're in the top guilds I think. Its just me and my friends, also. Just us six. I left Dale in charge while I'm gone."

"Dale... which one was he?" Kirito had seen Klein's guild a few times, but he had never bothered to memorize what they looked like or their names for that matter.

Klein seemed almost embarrassed as he put his hand behind his head. "Well, to be frank, he's the fat tank with the big-ass greatsword. And when I say big, I mean like, longer than he is tall."

Aside from being slightly caught off guard by how straightforward Klein's response was, Kirito remembered seeing a particularly large member in Klein's guild back on the second floor. He didn't remember him using a large weapon, though.

There was a few moments of silence. Klein, of course, was the one to start a conversation again. "Hey, do you ever wonder what Kayaba's doing in all of this? I mean, there hasn't been anything said about him since the beginning."

Lizbeth beat Kirito to a response. "Well, if the bastard isn't in jail right now, he's probably laughing at us while we get our asses kicked."

Klein continued. "There's nothing quite as boring as watching someone else play an RPG, though. You ever think he's in the game, hiding? Just, standing by and acting like just another player? It would be less boring than watching all of us."

Asuna was the one to reply, this time. "What idiot would trap himself in his own game? That's like building a prison just so you can be one of the inmates."

Kirito interrupted her. "Not really. It may not be a prison for him. He could have just kept his own logout button and look in sometimes to see how things are going."

Lizbeth butted in. "Well he'd be an even bigger ass if he did that. Secretly mocking us, we have to fight our way through all 120 floors of this hellhole, and he gets to have a front row seat while getting to log out and see his family at the same time." She paused for a moment. "Can we talk about something else? I hate thinking of what all must be happening in the real world."

Klein responded. "Alright. Anyways, do you ever think of what this might have been like... if we weren't trapped? We'd certainly have more virtual reality games, that's for sure." There was a sudden pause.

"What's wrong?" Kirito asked.

"Nothing. Just, speaking of other VR games, imagine if this was a shooter. Think of all the douches with snipers that would be aiming at us right now."

"Man, that would suck. I would've died a hundred times by now." While he was thinking of what that would be like, he also couldn't help but think of what all would be different if they weren't trapped. He would still be friends with Klein, and he wouldn't have been separated from his family, but, at the same time, he may not have met Asuna. He wasn't entirely sure which scenario he'd prefer. He would do almost anything to see his Aunt and cousin again, but Asuna may have been the best thing that ever happened to him. He was just some geek with a love for computers, but now he was in love with a sweet, beautiful girl who was also rich on top of that.

He took his hand out of his coat pocket and pulled her hand out of hers, taking hold of it. Holding hands had become a common thing between the two of them, but even then, she always gave him a smile when he did it. This time was no exception. He turned back to see Klein's face ridden with a glare of jealousy. Klein couldn't hold it in any longer. "Okay, this just isn't fair! I get it that you two are together, but come on! You don't have to make everyone who's single around you feel lonely with all the lovey-dovey stuff!"

Kirito heard Yuuki break out laughing, which reminded him of how little she'd spoken in the past while. She spoke up. "Wow, you're trying way too hard."

"I just want a woman! And this guy here isn't making me feel any better!" Both Kirito and Asuna couldn't help but laugh.

Yuuki facepalmed. "Just... stop. You're making it worse."

Klein sighed. "Fine."

* * *

><p>The five of them carefully stepped along a narrow path on a cliff face. A small gust of wind ruffled Kirito's hair and blew more snow in his face. Lizbeth, who was now leading their group, wrapped her coat even more tightly around her as Asuna snuggled closer to Kirito. Lizbeth spoke rather quietly, trying to overcome her shivering. "He really went the extra mile to screw us over, didn't he? You can take damage if you get too cold, right?"<p>

Kirito answered, although his teeth were somewhat chattering. "No idea. The beta testers never made it to floors like this."

Yuuki spoke up. "Well, if you can starve and dehydrate faster in hot weather, then surely you can start taking damage if it gets too cold." She seemed rather unaffected by the cold, even keeping the front of her coat unzipped. Unlike the rest of them, she seemed to be ignoring the cold rather well. She wasn't shivering at all, and she had no noticeable goosebumps, either.

Lizbeth spoke slightly louder as a small clearing was becoming visible through the snow. "I think it's just up here."

"Do you really think we're in the shape to beat this thing? Didn't Liz say that it was pretty big, and that no one else had ever managed to beat it?" Klein asked.

Kirito relished at the thought of fighting and beating whatever this monster was, in addition to getting his second blade. Lizbeth told them on the way that the mini-boss was rumored to drop a special material called Crystallite, and that it could be used to make very-high quality weapons and armor. Only a small handful of players were rumored to have weapons made from it. Given the weather, he couldn't picture anything other than a large troll-like creature.

The group heard a deep thud just beyond the limits of their visibility. All five of them immediately rushed behind a large boulder. "Did you guys hear that?!" Klein whispered rather frantically.

"Yeah." Kirito said as he removed his outer coat. He put the item back into his inventory.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lizbeth asked. "Put your coat back on before you freeze to death!"

"Too much weight. A coat that heavy will slow me down way too much, and besides, there's no way this fight will last more than fifteen minutes. I'm going out there to see what it is. Don't jump in until I say to. I'll go out there, and draw its attention. I'll say what it is, probably some kind of troll, and then you guys come in." The four of them nodded.

He drew Elucidator and crept out from behind the boulder, approaching towards the direction the sound came from. He hesitated as he heard a deep, throaty growl; far to deep to be a small animal. The monster's head came into view. It looked at Kirito with piercing, illuminated blue eyes he could see clearly through the blizzard.

"What is it?!" Yuuki exclaimed from behind the boulder.

Kirito needed a moment to be sure he wasn't hallucinating. It was certainly different that what he was expecting, and it appeared to be exponentially larger. He finally answered Yuuki's question. "It's... it's a dragon!"


	20. Chapter 16

Within seconds all five of them had gathered around the dragon, forming a semi-circle in front of it. Through the intense blizzard, all of them could see its piercing blue eyes staring malevolently at them. It moved its head further upwards, making its sheer size quite obvious. For a short few moments, all it did was look at them, almost like it was deciding who to attack first. Of course it chose Kirito, who barely managed to evade the strike. The dragon snapped at him with teeth long enough; and sharp enough; to impale him completely, and a mouth large enough to swallow his entire body afterwards.

Yuuki and Klein both lunged at the dragon, blades raised, although it jerked its head to the left, knocking Yuuki backwards and effectively dodging Klein's attack. Klein quickly recovered and went in for another slash, but the dragon this time knocked him back.

Asuna and Lizbeth maintained their distance as Yuuki and Klein recovered. Both had only received minimal damage to their health bars. The five of them returned to their previous formation, anticipating the dragon's next attack. However, nothing could prepare them for what followed. The dragon raised its head once again, and opened its mouth impossibly wide. Before any of them could realize what was happening, the dragon exhaled in a mighty burst of wind and frost. Kirito felt the cold throughout his body; his fingers, toes, and cheeks being the fastest to go numb. He raised his arms to shield himself, only to feel his arms becoming progressively colder as the dragon's icy breath continued to pelt all five of them. He was the only one that had taken off his outer coat, and he was beginning to regret it.

He finally felt the wind dissipate, believing the attack to be over. He lowered his arms slightly in hopes of seeing what the dragon was preparing to do. To his unpleasant surprise, the beast was charging at him faster than he would have expected from a large dragon. In addition, the monster seemed to be spreading its wings, preparing for flight. Kirito knew what was about to happen, and he was equally aware that he was in no shape to evade the attack. "You've gotta be kidding me..." He muttered to himself as the dragon lifted off the ground, catching him in its talons.

He flinched at the pressure the creature was applying on his torso, as well as the sharp pain coming from his abdomen; likely caused by claws digging into his side. Desperately, clumsily, and blindly, he swung Elucidator upwards, hoping to at least draw blood. He felt the slight impact signifying the blade had connected, and he felt a cold liquid that immediately froze land on his wrist. He could only guess it was the creature's blood.

The dragon let out a short, yet ear-piercing screech as it released Kirito. He had no idea how long he had been in the dragon's clutches until he realized the fall was taking at least three seconds. He braced himself as he impacted the snow, which soon seeped down into the deepest layers of his clothing. He struggled back to his feet, which he had lost all sensation in by that point. He gripped Elucidator tightly as he heard the rhythmic flapping of the dragon's wings progressively getting closer.

For a short second, he saw the monster's eyes a small distance in front of him. Instinctively, he ducked down slightly, and swung upward in an arching motion. He once again felt the impact as a freezing liquid pelted his face and torso. Collapsing in the snow, he glanced at his health bar. A deep blue snowflake icon was just below his half-full health bar. He guessed it was a status effect like paralysis, only this time, it was frost. He heard; and felt; the thud of something large enough to be that dragon land a few meters away.

He heard a feminine battlecry a second before hearing the sound of cold metal stab into bone and flesh. He heard the dragon let out a deep groan, followed by a long, eerie silence. His health bar was also continuing to fall at a rapid pace. By now it was down to one-third, and within another thirty seconds it was down to one-fourth. The silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps crunching through tightly packed snow.

He soon felt himself being lifted off the ground and then put over someone's shoulder. The person was too tall and muscular to be anyone other than Klein. "Hey, I got him!" Klein exclaimed as Kirito saw his health bar reach one-sixth. He briefly heard the sound of more footsteps approaching the two of them. That was the last he heard before he blacked out.

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><p>Before he opened his eyes, he was profoundly aware of the warmth he was feeling, as well as the extra weight on his body. He slowly opened his eyes, and he was relieved to see that that weight was Asuna, laying down on him with her head resting just below his chin. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his torso. He then noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, or much in the way of pants, either. In fact, the only thing preventing him from being completely nude was a pair of black boxer shorts.<p>

He then saw that Asuna wasn't wearing much either; she wore only a bra and panties. Strangely though, he didn't feel the slightest bit awkward. He supposed that he trusted and loved her enough so that such a thing wouldn't be uncomfortable.

He looked around the room they were in, as it certainly wasn't the KoB living quarters or their cabin. It was the size of the average inn room, only it was entirely dark wood. Next to their bed was a small table lined with an assortment of small candles. The room had a single window, and it was covered in frost. A fireplace on the opposite side of the room cast a feint orange glow. What caught his eye, though, was Elucidator, and a second blade leaned against the wall next to the door.

He gently nudged Asuna's shoulder. She drowsily lifted her head, only to break into a heartwarming smile the moment she saw him awake. She didn't look away from him until a few moments later, when her expression became more surprised; and embarrassed. She quickly lifted herself off of him and put both hands over her mouth. "S-Sorry... I just thought that it would help get you warm-"

"It's fine. I'm okay with it if you are."

She relaxed slightly. "I-I just wasn't sure what your reaction would be. I wasn't expecting you to wake up in the middle of the night like this." It's not like he was, either.

He gestured over at the two blades. Her smile returned. "Lizbeth made you the second sword, and even restored your Elucidator. She also said that the two weapons should have the exact same stats."

Kirito laid back down. "I'll look at it tomorrow. But for now, we both need some sleep. Speaking of, how long was I out?"

"Klein found your body mostly buried. We gave you a healing potion, but you started losing health again almost immediately. We managed to get out of the mountains with all of the loot we got from the dragon, and since it was getting late, we stopped at this inn. We also got a message from Heathcliff."

"What'd it say?"

"He said we're fighting the boss on the 74th floor tomorrow, and that we need to be prepared. So get some rest." She rested herself back down next to him; arms wrapped around him.

"Wait... just out of curiosity, who got the finishing hit on the dragon?"

Asuna grinned. "I did. Now go to sleep." She paused for a brief moment. "Dummy..." She muttered. "Love you."

He closed his eyes and held her tightly. "Love you too."


	21. Chapter 17

Hey! Sorry that this chapter took so long, but I've been busy this week considering semester finals are coming up. Also, I didn't want to be cheeky and spoil anything, so I had to wait until the new episode came out so I wouldn't get death threats. :P But anyways, here it is. Don't forget to leave a review telling me your thoughts. P.S. Thank you all so much for 90 follows and over 50 favorites! Enjoy!

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><p>Kirito thrust Dark Repulser into the chest of an unfortunate frost troll. It was early morning, and he didn't like the idea of leaving Asuna back at the inn by herself, but he had to try out dual wielding. Lizbeth had kept her word and made him a blade with the materials they received from defeating the dragon, and the result was a sword that was statistically identical to Elucidator, which she had also completely restored. The blade had a hilt that was shaped more traditionally compared to Elucidator's partially open spiked semi-circle design, and got progressively narrower towards the tip, which ended in a large triangle shape. In addition to being shaped differently, it was a bright, reflective, diamond-blue color that was ever-so-slightly translucent. It was a stark contrast to his normal black getup.<p>

He found himself to be enjoying the experience; the extra blade meant he could parry or block while striking with the other blade, or he could catch an opponent's blade with both of his and potentially disarm them. Unfortunately, the beast he had just killed happened to be the last one in the area, and it normally took a full day for mobs to respawn. Other than that, he couldn't wait to take on the 74th floor boss.

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><p>Kirito was preparing to relax with Asuna for the next few hours leading up to the boss fight, when the two of them heard a knock at their door. To their surprise, it was Yuuki. However, she seemed saddened. Her typical bright smile and cheery attitude was entirely absent. "What's wrong, Yuuki?" She gave no reply. She simply sat herself down on one of their beds. Kirito and Asuna sat down next to her.<p>

"It's just...I thought it was time that I told you two something... but I'm afraid of what you might do."

Asuna placed her hand on Yuuki's shoulder. "You can tell us anything. Now, what is it?"

"It's... my secret. Kirito asked me about it a while ago, and I told him I might give him the answer once I got to know you two a little better... but yesterday, after he almost died, and considering how I've been feeling lately... I decided to tell you now. That way... at least you'll know what to expect..." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. They'd never seen her like this before, and they couldn't help but feel disturbed by it. "I'm dying. Every day I come closer to death."

Kirito wasn't sure if what he'd just heard was real. Yuuki... was _dying?_ "...What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm terminally ill. Every day my pain gets a little worse... I thought that I wouldn't have to face that in a place like this, so I got the NerveGear and a copy of Sword Art Online. At first I didn't feel anything, but once we were trapped in and it had been a few weeks, I started noticing it again. Briefly..." She covered her mouth as tears were beginning to run down her face. "...I considered suicide. I was about to do it... I had my sword raised up to my throat... but then I remembered my family. Even though she also has the disease, my sister taught me to live life to the fullest, no matter what. In that moment, remembering her... knowing I may never see her again... I couldn't do it. After that I went solo, exploring the floors and fighting anything I came across. It was like that for several months up until I met you..." She stopped for a short moment, crying almost uncontrollably. "...I... if I die before we make it out... just know that you were like..." She could hardly say the following words without completely bawling. "...b- brother and sister to me."

Considering her attitude, Kirito knew that her secret must have been something she wasn't proud of. But nothing could have prepared them for this.

Asuna embraced her. "Yuuki..." She was about to start crying, herself. "We'll stay with you until the end. Whenever that may be."

Yuuki could barely stop crying long enough to reply. "...Th- Thank you... sis." As soon as she realized what her final word was, she started sobbing again. Kirito joined Asuna in comforting her.

* * *

><p>Kirito and Asuna walked near the front of the guilds with Klein and Lizbeth. Yuuki had stayed back at the guild HQ upon Asuna's request. Heathcliff was staying near the back of the KoB's group. He'd also spotted Kibaou near the middle of the ALF's group. He wondered to himself how that moron was still alive. The boss room was directly ahead. Kirito made sure that he was ready to equip Dark Repulser and surprise everyone the moment he opened his inventory.<p>

The first line of players entered the room. Their group was in the third. Kirito couldn't help but grin to himself. It was like he was back playing games on his computer, ready to show off a shiny new weapon. He relished the thought of one day, playing a game like this with Asuna and Klein without being imprisoned as he drew Elucidator, patiently waiting for the boss to spawn. However, just as the tip of the blade left its scabbard, the door behind them slammed shut, leaving only the four of them, and a handful of members from the ALF. According to Heathcliff, no one had died to a boss fight since the 67th floor. He silently prayed that this would be the end of that streak.

"Shit! What the hell was that?!" Lizbeth exclaimed in a panic. "We're trapped?!"

"Uh, guys..." Klein said with a fearful tone in his voice as they turned to see the boss at the opposite end of the room. From looking at it, Kirito could see why it had infamously been named the Gleam Eyes. It was a Minotaur-like creature that was easily three meters tall with deep, blue fur and a long, black broadsword. Its distinguishing feature, however, was its demonic blue eyes, glaring malevolently at them.

The small group of players ahead of them charged. "No! What are you doing?!" Kirito screamed at them. Unfortunately, they couldn't hear him over their own deafening battle cries. The monster easily knocked aside most of them, even sending one of the poor men all the way back to the entrance of the room. The four of them stood in horror as his body lay unmoving for a few seconds, then shattered into the hundreds of blue polygons Kirito was all too familiar with. "Get back!" Kirito desperately screamed.

"D- Damn it!" Asuna said as she charged in. Kirito opened up his inventory. He figured that if there was a time to do it, it was now. He tapped 'equip' next to Dark Repulser, and he immediately felt the extra weight of the weapon his right side. He stood and began his charge, driven by the sight of Asuna fighting a losing battle. He unsheathed the weapon and prepared himself for combat. Her health bar was down to two-thirds.

"Asuna, switch!" He called out to her. It distracted her, however, allowing the boss to land a punch, sending her flying backward. He glanced at her health bar. One-third. _At least she'll live..._ He told himself as he raised his blades. The boss finally seemed to notice him. He leaped at the creature, letting out a fierce roar. He swung downward with both swords, knowing it would block. The creature did as he expected, and Kirito landed on the ground in front of it. The boss swung downward at him. He easily dodged and ran at the monster, swinging in an 'X' motion at its stomach. He felt drops of blood pelt his face, but the boss didn't seem to be fazed by the attack, swiftly kicking him back.

_Faster..._ He told himself. He parried the creature's attack and lunged, only to be punched back. _**Faster**_...he continued to tell himself. He lunged once again, barely being stopped inches from its heart. It was down to just over half health. A solid thrust would mean the end of it. **_Faster!_** He shouted at himself. He lunged one final time, using Elucidator to block the creature's broadsword. With all his strength, he thrust Dark Repulser into the chest of the boss.


	22. Chapter 18

Whaaat? Two chapters in two days? Yep. I felt a little bad about holding off the previous chapter for so long, and considering I had my first homework-free night in several weeks, I decided, 'why not'? So here you are. (So close to 100 follows... I can't believe I've made it this far! :D) Enjoy!

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><p>Kirito glanced at his health bar. Either he'd taken a lot more hits than he'd realized, or the boss just hit that hard. From the few blows he'd received, his health was all the way down to one-fourth. Looking down at his body, it made sense. There was a deep gash across his stomach, his chest and torso in general was in a deep, aching pain, and his limbs had all received smaller cuts and bruises.<p>

Asuna ran over to him just as the 'Congratulations!' notification appeared before him. She had lost almost as much health as he had, and it showed. She had a slight limp, her stomach had a deep gash almost identical to his, and a small cut ran down her right cheek. She didn't care, though. She simply threw her arms around him, happy that he wasn't on the brink of death this time.

Klein approached the two of them; Lizbeth went over to the remaining ALF members, scolding them for recklessly attacking the boss. Klein's expression told him that this was no time for celebration. "Three died. More probably would've followed if you two didn't jump in. Seriously, when the pressure's on, its almost scary what you're capable of.

Surprisingly enough, Kirito knew the exact words to say. "I've always been better under pressure." He remembered countless times when he would be playing an MMO and miraculously defeat a boss that vastly outleveled him. It wasn't just that way in games, either; he almost always performed well on large school tests, particularly finals. "I guess it also helps to remember what I'm fighting for..." He turned and looked at Asuna; the two of them locking gazes for a brief moment.

Lizbeth interrupted them as the groups that had been left outside during the boss fight began pouring in. "Where are you guys headed now?"

Klein spoke first. "Back to guild HQ and start training for the next boss. Considering how quick we're getting through the floors now, I'd say it'll be around a week before we meet again."

Lizbeth turned to face Kirito and Asuna. "And what of you two?"

"We're heading back to check on Yuuki. Afterwards I'm probably going to go scouting for the 75th floor boss." Asuna glared at him as if to say, 'Like hell you are'. "...with Asuna, of course." Her expression eased. The two of them stood up, nodding at Klein and Liz. Kirito allowed Asuna to wrap her arm around him to help with her limp. Which made him realize that they'd ran out of health potions a few days ago. They walked past Heathcliff, who upon seeing their condition, told them to head back to HQ and rest.

The man seemed so strange sometimes. He never spoke of his life outside the game, and his benevolent, calm attitude seemed unnatural. In a place like this, no one could be like that all the time. Then he remembered his skill in combat, and told himself: _He's probably just some middle-aged guy who lived in his mother's basement, playing games all the time up until now._ He wanted to believe that, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy around him.

His thoughts were interrupted, unfortunately, by Kibaou. He spoke in the same condescending, arrogant voice Kirito remembered him for. "How many more will die because of your own selfishness? You're a sick fuck, and so's that bitch that's with you."

Kirito let go of Asuna, making sure she could stay standing up without support. "How long will you keep at this? There's not even a point to it any more. We've made it to the next floor, bringing us one step closer to seeing our families again. You're comrades' deaths were tragic and unnecessary, but you're a complete idiot if you think that it's somehow my fault."

He drew his sword. From the looks of it, if they did get into a fight, Kirito would win with ease. "Since everyone's saying you kicked all kinds of ass back there," His tone was painfully sarcastic. "You could have saved them. But you wouldn't dare waste your time on a lower level player."

Kirito snapped. "Maybe they wouldn't have died if you were a better leader! We tried to stop them but they charged in like a bunch of morons! What the hell have you been teaching them?!"

Kibaou took a moment to respond. "You doubt my leadership?" He said coldly.

Kirito drew Elucidator and Dark Repulser. "Yes. Someone as pompous and moronic as you isn't fit to lead anything." From the look on Kibaou's face, it seemed like he was legitimately scared when he saw Kirito holding two blades. "What level are you?"

"...I'm a level 72..."

"I'm a level 95. Asuna is a level 94. Even in our current state, either one of us could easily defeat you."

Kibaou scoffed. "That whore can't do shit. All she ever does is cry for you to come save her just so she can keep fucking you."

Kirito dropped both of his blades. Slowly, he approached Kibaou. "You have no idea what we've been through." Kirito got within Kibaou's striking distance. Down the blade came, only to be blocked by Kirito's gauntlet. He ripped the sword out of Kibaou's hands and snapped the weapon in half, tossing the useless pieces of metal aside.

"What, now you're going to kill me? Just like you did all those supposed 'murderers', who according to you, all have families that they want to get back to-" Kibaou was cut off by Kirito grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground.

He looked Kibaou directly in the eyes. "Asuna is more important to me than anyone in this world, or the other. I'm in no way proud of what I did back then, but if I had to choose between them and Asuna, I'd pick her a thousand times before even considering them. Do you know what they did to her?"

Kibaou struggled to say something, but Kirito's grip was far too tight. "They tortured her, physically and mentally to near death for days on end. They took literally everything from her, and locked her up in a dungeon. They were about to stab a sword into her when I got there. And what would _you_ do if you saw the one you loved most in an unimaginable amount of pain and on the brink of death, knowing that you're the only one who can save them?"

The memory of it made him shiver. He'd tried to forget about that, but in this situation, and as much as he hated it, he could use the facts to his advantage. "So... when I let go of you... if you say another word about her being weak and only wanting to 'fuck' me, then I'll let you know exactly what all of her suffering felt like. And she endured it. I can guarantee you wouldn't, because she's a hundred times stronger than you could ever hope to be." He released Kibaou, who fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "You're a disgusting person. For your sake, I hope we never meet again." He left Kibaou with those final words and returned to Asuna.

"...Wait..." Kibaou said in a raspy voice. "...I... I'm sorry. I was wrong to be like that to you two... and... I don't blame you for being like this. I guess I just couldn't realize what it was like for you two."

Kirito let those words soak in as he breathed a long sigh of relief. He'd settled things with Kibaou without causing bloodshed. "Thank you." He said to him. Just those two simple words, and yet, Kibaou understood. There was a new found respect that he had for Kirito. Looking back on his actions, he realized just how arrogant and self-absorbed he must have seemed.

Kirito could tell though that Kibaou's previous words had an impact on her. She hadn't spoken to him. He kissed her on the cheek. "Hey, don't let anything he said get to you. He just didn't understand."

"I know, but... he was right, in a way. Even since you rescued me, you've had to save me more than once... I really am weak, aren't I..." Her eyes were beginning to glisten.

"Asuna." He stopped walking and faced her directly. "Stop with this. You're stronger than I could ever hope to be. After all we've been through, you've endured it better than I ever could have." She didn't bother responding. She simply hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder.

Even though her voice was slightly muffled, she was certain he would hear her next words. "I love you." It was a phrase that the two of them had become accustomed to, but each time, it still had the same weight as the first time they shared those words. Each time, a certain indescribable satisfaction was felt. A deep, burning passion for each other that could never be quenched.

Knowing they were the only words that should ever be spoken back after that phrase was said, he held her as close to him as he could and whispered gently in her ear. "I love you too."


	23. UPDATE NO 5

To those of you hoping for a new chapter, well... here's an update I guess?... Anyways, at this point, I suppose we're going full speed ahead towards the ending, which I plan to take all the way to the 120th floor. I also wanted to thank all of you so much. I never expected this to get all the praise it's getting, and it's a truly indescribable feeling. That being said, tell me in a review (or PM me if you prefer that) if you would like to see the story continue past the Aincrad Arc. Oh, and Laughing Coffin may resurface... just maybe.

EDIT: I most likely will not touch the Fairy Dance arc. I may do something a little similar, but neither Kirito or Asuna are going to be trapped in ALfheim right after the end of Aincrad. Just wanted to clear that up.


	24. UPDATE NO 6

Sorry it's taking this long for the new chapter. :( Finals week has been hell for me - every night I've been tired as hell, had LOTS of homework, or both. Fortunately, today, while I'm exhausted, I only had a half-day, and tomorrow will be the same (half-days for finals; 3 tests per day). I'll try to get out the next chapter out sometime within the next few days, but once again, the last several days have been pretty exhausting. Thanks again for the continued support, also, 100 follows!


	25. Chapter 19

Okay, so here it FINALLY is! First, finals week was hell for me, and every night I was either loaded with homework, tired AF, or both. I'm still pretty damn out of it as of now, so this chapter may not be up to to the typical standards. Furthermore, this chapter was particularly hard to write, mainly due to issues with cohesion and trying to keep the plot flowing, and as a result, it took EVEN longer to get out. I actually had to cut it short so it wouldn't end in an awkward place. So, once again, this may not be as good. On the other hand, I do plan to update multiple times over Christmas break, although as usual, I can't promise anything. That being said, here it is.

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><p>Kirito and Asuna sat back to back. Even though they had cleared the 75th floor, a landmark, no one was celebrating. They were all painfully aware of the deaths they had witnessed in the previous battle. "...How many died?" Kirito asked Klein.<p>

"Fourteen."

He felt his heart sink. Fourteen people perished, and from a single boss. And to think, they still had 45 more floors to clear. The thought of it made him shiver. If he were to die, what would be of his family? What would he be leaving behind? He'd made the promise to Asuna, and he intended to keep it. But these bosses were only going to become more challenging. Would either of them be alive to see the end? Would anyone?

"D-damn... damn it all." Klein muttered to himself. "How the hell are we going to make it..."

He felt Asuna lightly tug his hand. "Kirito... do you think we'll survive?"

He wanted to say yes. But, in the back of his mind, he had a gut feeling that very few people were going to live. "...Why ask that?"

"If you say we'll make it, I'll believe you."

Their chances were in fact slim. He couldn't say for certain whether or not they would see the end of it. But, how would she feel if he said 'no'? That wouldn't help in any way. He didn't want to, but he couldn't say anything different. "We'll make it."

She didn't respond. She simply gripped his hand tighter, even though she heard the doubt in his voice.

* * *

><p>Kirito patiently watched as Ashley put the finishing touches on his new coat. He'd long since grown tired of his old one, and had been wanting to upgrade for quite some time.<p>

"And... here you go!" She said as she handed him the finished product. He checked the item's name as he finished paying her. 'Blackwyrm Coat'. Looking at it, it was similar to his old one, only it had gray accents and a matte black in place of the glossy, almost rubbery shade on his previous outfit. Equipping it, he found it came with a V-neck shirt as well as slacks, short boots, fingerless gloves, and a belt with a large silver buckle. Its color scheme was almost identical to that of Elucidator's.

"Thanks for stopping by!" Ashley exclaimed as he walked out the door, smiling back as if to say 'You're welcome'.

Walking through the forest, he spent a considerable amount of time looking down at his equipment. While he was enjoying the new coat, he couldn't help but notice that the two blades sheathed on either side of his belt looked somewhat odd. They were both rather long; almost touching the ground. But that length meant he couldn't draw them from the back, something he personally disliked doing in the first place, as the action left him open for attack as opposed to simply drawing the swords from the hip and having them ready for use immediately. He figured he was stuck with that method, considering there was no other practical way to sheath them.

However, he instinctively placed his hands on the two blades as he heard a bush rustling a few meters away. In absolute silence, he intimately listened for the next sign of movement. He heard two sounds from the foliage behind him; like the sound of a fabric being dragged against leaves. In a single motion, he drew Elucidator, spun around, and slashed horizontally, immediately hearing a loud 'clank'; the sound of metal on metal contact. A few small sparks flew as he saw the dagger that had been thrown at him snap in half and fall to the floor uselessly.

The dagger's owner sprung from the bushes, sword raised. Before he could even tell what the person looked like, he drew Dark Repulser, ducked under their swing, and slashed at their leg. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the person stumble down on one knee, almost completely falling over. He stepped down on their wounded leg, keeping him immobilized. He raised Dark Repulser, and swiftly thrust it through the person's back. The player slumped over, their health bar now at zero.

It took him less than a second to identify the corpse. They were unmistakably a Laughing Coffin member. The blade looked like something out of one of the horror-themed floors, and their body was shrouded in a black tattered cloak, concealing their face. On his left wrist was the guild's symbol, partially hidden.

His body burst into the hundreds of sparkling blue polygons he'd grown far too familiar with. As if on cue, four more players approached from the thick brush, all presumably Laughing Coffin members. They drew their weapons.

Kirito got into his stance, knowing full and well that one hit from their weapons would be the end. This was Laughing Coffin, after all, so their weapons undoubtedly had paralysis poison applied. He'd long since gotten over the guilt of having to kill his opponents, as they would never show him mercy.

The ones directly in front and behind him lunged. He parried the one in front's attack, and ducked below the second. The ones on the side thrust their blades at him, although he easily parried both at the same time. Using the opening, he slashed at the one to his left, cutting across his torso diagonally. The attack almost entirely depleted his health bar. Bleeding damage would take care of the rest. Using Elucidator's guard, he caught the blade of the one in front, allowing him to thrust Dark Repulser into his chest. His health bar immediately dropped to zero. Spinning around, and using the thick rubber on the bottom of his boots, he kicked the opponent to his right's blade out of his hands, while blocking the remaining player's strike from behind. He impaled the player in front of him with Dark Repulser, only to quickly pull it out and face his final opponent.

He raised both blades, and swung both of the sideways in an 'X' pattern, decapitating his foe. Within seconds, the last of them disintegrated as always. For now, it seemed to be victory. But he knew then what this meant. Laughing Coffin, had returned.


	26. Chapter 20

"You're certain it was Laughing Coffin?" Heathcliff asked Kirito.

"It couldn't be anyone else. They're the only group that still wants to kill me, and they had the usual Laughing Coffin getup. Black outfits, shrouds over their faces, and swords with paralysis on them."

"Hmm. The only way they will stop is if we wipe them out completely. We'll have to find out where their main headquarters is and launch an attack. Take as many prisoners as possible."

"What about PoH?"

"I will hold a meeting later today. We'll decide then whether or not to kill or capture him. But first, we need to find out where they are located. In order to do that, we need one of their members."

"I can take care of that. All I have to do is go to a place where they can easily find me, and wait for them."

"Using yourself as bait? That seems a bit risky, even for you."

"Five attacked me earlier today. They were all dead in just over a minute. I can handle anything they throw at me."

Heathcliff sighed. "Very well."

Just as Heathcliff finished, the two of them heard someone burst through the entrance to the room. To Kirito's surprise, it was Yuuki, who's expression looked like she'd just watched a bloody massacre. "Laughing Coffin, they're in the town, heading this way!" At least he wouldn't have to go searching for them.

"How many?" Kirito and Heathcliff said in unison.

"At least nine!"

* * *

><p>Kirito stood in front of the nine players, Asuna and Yuuki behind him, and both of his blades drawn. One of them stepped forward. "You aren't going to beat us." Kirito said confidently. "If you lay down your weapons now, then we promise all of you a safe passage out of the city." The player continued to approach him, disregarding his statement. "Look, I don't want to kill you, but I will if you make-" Kirito was forced to stop as the player lunged forward, swinging with such speed that Kirito barely managed to dodge the attack.<p>

The player immediately swung again. This time Kirito was able to parry, but his opponent seemed unfazed by it. Before he had time to react, the player kicked Kirito just below the chest with the heel of his boot, knocking him back slightly. For a brief moment, Kirito was stunned. The player actually landed a hit on him. Either his opponent had just gotten lucky, or he was more skilled than regular Laughing Coffin members. Either way, he wanted to end the fight as soon as possible.

He slashed at his opponent's hand, disarming him. With a quick thrust, he impaled the player. Just as he pulled Elucidator from his opponent's chest however, the remaining eight charged at him. Asuna and Yuuki came to his side, along with a few other fellow KoB members. Kirito dispatched the first one with ease, disarming him and slashing down his torso, emptying his health bar instantly.

A second and third engaged him immediately. As always, their form was clumsy and imprecise. He parried the first attack, while ducking under the second and slashing at the attacker's legs. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain as Kirito instinctively swung both weapons behind his head. The expected 'clang' of metal-on-metal contact assured him that his opponent's attack had been blocked. There would undoubtedly be a fourth one to attack him any second, although he used the momentary break to glance around him. One of the KoB members had taken several hits, although the others had but a few scratches. Yuuki and Asuna were both unscathed, of course. He felt a semblance of satisfaction as he saw Asuna impaling one of the Laughing Coffin members with her rapier. She had an unusually fierce expression on her face; in a way, it was as if she was fighting them as a means of payback.

The player he had blocked from behind was still there. By the time Kirito had turned to face him, he wondered why he hadn't attacked yet. He'd given him almost a full second window. He should have taken it. But he didn't, and because of it, Kirito swiftly ended him. The last one of them engaged him without hesitation. He couldn't help but applaud the player's courage, but on the other hand, he was disgusted. It meant that he was just _that_ determined to keep causing death and violence. But this player had the same unusual skill as the first one he fought. Surprisingly, Kirito barely managed to duck under one of his horizontal attacks; he even felt the weapon brush past a lock of his hair. But he couldn't kill him. If he did, it would mean throwing away their perfect chance to learn where the Laughing Coffin headquarters was. He swept his opponent off his legs and slashed the weapon out of his hands.

Kirito waved Dark Repulser just in front of his downed foe as if threatening him. In the most intimidating voice he could manage, he spoke. "Your guild headquarters - where is it?" When he didn't respond immediately, he lowered the weapon closer; to where the tip rested just below his throat. "_Now."_

He heard a muffled grunt. The player's face was covered in a completely black shawl, although he could tell through his exposed eyes that he felt genuine fear. He brought the blade ever closer to his throat. "...F-fine..." He finally answered in a deep, raspy, yet nervous voice. "Open your map." Kirito brought up his map, being sure to keep the blade virtually touching his foe as he stood up. Slowly, steadily, he pointed to a secluded position on the 68th floor, a place that looked to be next to a large mountain, with expansive series of meadows leading up to it. Kirito remembered passing by that place on his way to the 73rd floor. Its exact position suggested it had been dug into a large cliff face or placed on the slope of the mountain, which seemed unlikely.

Heathcliff approached Kirito as other KoB members drug off the Laughing Coffin member, who seemed to still be shaking in his boots. Apparently, Kirito's method of intimidation had worked quite well. "Do you know where exactly that is located?"

Kirito replied. "I believe so. Pretty sure I passed by it when I was heading for the 73rd floor."

"Of course, we can't just send a team out there and have them take care of it. That is, if the location he gave us wasn't false." Heathcliff asked.

"The location he gave me was rather secluded. It would make a decent place for a secret headquarters. But again, sending troops would be a bad move. We'll need someone to scout ahead; make sure the location wasn't fake. I could go there tomorrow with a few others, keep my distance, observe the place long enough to be sure, and come back here."

"No. I'm not willing to risk a valuable player like you on such a small mission. I'll send a few other mid-level members with specific instructions. This way, you can reserve your strength for the assault on their headquarters. That is, if they return with certainty that is their headquarters."

He didn't want to risk a few mid-level players, especially considering he'd seen a few mobs in that area, but he had a point. If they came back with confirmation, he would need as much strength as he could muster for the inevitable assault. "Alright." Kirito said with a long sigh.

* * *

><p>Hey! First, sorry for the hiatus, second, sorry if this chapter felt a little short, and third, sorry if it ended in an awkward place. But anyways, the hiatus is over, and I plan to return to my usual schedule of 1-3 chapters per week. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and let's hope 2015 is friggin' awesome. As always, thank you all for the continued support, and please leave a review. As of now, I plan to finish up the Laughing Coffin arc and then go full steam ahead towards the ending. I hope you guys are ready for the final few chapters! :)<p> 


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